Love Is Complicated
by Grace Willow
Summary: In a convergence of TMI and NLCK, Jace is no longer dating Clary, and his new Shadowhunter love interest may just be his perfect match—even if she happens to have two Mai friends. Can they put aside their differences to conquer a vampire war?
1. Philip Walker

**A quick note:** This is a story that author SwornPledge and I created one day when we were bored out of our minds. Typically, when we have nothing to do—or just need to get the creative juices flowing—we practice and exercise our writing skills by producing short proses where imaginative things happen, kind of like improve but on paper. Sometimes we end up making a prose good enough that we turn it into a story, albeit they are almost always a parody spoof. This story is a little different from our others due to the fact that we actually put ourselves into it, literally. Because it's a fan-girl story—and anything can happen—we made a couple of the boys our love interests. But don't worry! This isn't one of those choke-me-with-a-fork romances; it is a comedy with an out of this dimension twist! As you may have already guessed, this is a one-timer simply because we make so many of these and they're just exercises. I will warn you that there is language throughout as well as some references. Now with that said, enjoy the story, and remember to comment! With your encouragement we may just decide to post another. Also, make sure to listen to the soundtrack we've comprised while reading. You will find it on the author, Grace Willow's profile.

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><p>"Oh. My. God," Becca said looking at her friend, Grace. They were in Wal-Mart shopping for groceries while their boyfriends were probably somewhere playing with toys in the sports department. "You can prove he's not gay? Details! Details!"<p>

Grace blushed.

"I didn't say that. I meant to say I can price that gum. It doesn't have a sticker, but I buy that kind all the time," she said.

Becca didn't buy it. Her pouty mouth turned up in a smirk. "Dear, price has no 'o' in it." She grabbed a package of M&M's and dropped it into Grace's basket for her boyfriend, Jace. He had never had them before. "You are stuck."

"It was a slip of the tongue. I didn't mean for it to have the 'o' in it," Grace said.

The two had just come from a tense double date. Tense meaning Becca and Jace almost never get along when they are together. Ben was rather indifferent because he was still getting a feel for the group. He is Becca's boyfriend of about a month. Jace and Grace had been together forever it seemed like to Becca.

"Besides, he's still getting used to living with someone."

Becca stopped cold, causing her dark brunette hair to bounce in her high ponytail. "Woah, woah, woah," Becca said, stopping Grace. "Living together?" She was dumbfounded.

"Yes. Why are you so shocked? He likes my cat—our happy little family of three," Grace said, smiling.

"Um, I'm shocked because I had no idea that you and Jace were living together," Becca said as they resumed their shopping. Just then something came to mind. "Your family of three isn't turning into a family of four anytime soon is it?"

"No, Jace says he doesn't want to buy any more expensive cat food," Grace replied, looking at Becca innocently.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Becca said, giving Grace a look.

"Then what do you mean?" Grace asked, looking uncharacteristically confused.

"Are you….you know…any buns in the oven?" Becca gave her a long, meaningful look.

Grace still looked confused. "The bread is a few aisles over."

"Oh my God. I know you're blonde, but really?" Becca whispers in Grace's ear, "Are you pregnant?"

Grace's eyes go wide. "Do you think I'm fat?"

"Mood swings. Yeah you're pregnant. No, you aren't fat," Becca told her, smiling satisfactorily.

"Oh, boy. I think I'm going to be sick. And NO I don't mean that kind of sick," Grace said, placing a hand over her stomach.

"Well it is morning. Morning sickness..." Becca answered just as Jace came down the aisle.

"Hey, I think Ben's hungry. He was looking at cat treats," Jace said to Becca and Grace. He was always saying things like that about Becca and Ben. They were both Mai, a race with cat-like powers.

"So, Jace. I just learned something interesting about your lovely girlfriend, Grace," Becca said, examining a package of Twizzlers. Grace stared at Becca in horror. "Tell me, how do you feel about kids?"

"Hate them," Jace said, looking in Grace's basket.

"Becca, shut up!" Grace said, emphatically.

"Uh-oh, Grace. That's not good," Becca said, raising her eyebrows.

Grace looked at Jace panicked. "She's lying!"

Jace gave her a strange look. "She hasn't said anything yet."

"Well I'm keeping you from being exposed to her lies. Be grateful," Grace replied.

"This should be pretty interesting," Becca said, looking between Jace and Grace. "Jace, your girlfriend has a bun in the oven."

"Grace doesn't bake," Jace said, looking confused.

Becca rolled her eyes.

"You guys are so blonde! Jace, you're going be a daddy!" Becca said enthusiastically.

Jace just stared at Becca like she had grown two heads.

Grace turns red. "I'M NOT HAVING A KID! JACE WON'T DO IT!" she suddenly screamed, her claim echoing throughout the entire store.

Becca blinked at the two of them.

"There, are you happy?" Grace asked angrily.

Jace looked at her. "You told me you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"I had to. It was an emergency," Grace said simply.

Becca hadn't moved.

Just then Ben walked around the corner with a puzzled look on his face. "Did someone just shout 'Jace won't do it'?" he asked, standing next to Becca who was muttering to herself and gesturing back and forth between Grace and Jace.

Jace runs his hand over his face. "By the angel," he muttered.

Ben rubbed his ear. "I was all the way across the store and for once I wish I had normal hearing. That hurt," he said, wincing.

"So everyone heard it?" Jace asked.

"Pretty much." Ben then noticed that Becca hadn't been talking. He waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her confused state.

"Jace won't do it with you? Why not?" Becca asked Grace.

"Is this really necessary? It's not even important to me. I love Jace no matter what he does or doesn't do," Grace said.

"Well, just checking that he didn't hurt your feelings. If he did I would kick his ass," Becca said, shooting a glare at Jace, which he returned.

"He never could," Grace said, taking his hand.

"Just making sure," Becca said, skeptically.

"Love is more than that you know," Grace said as she pulled Jace to the cereal aisle.

Becca and Ben followed.

Ben put his arm around Becca's shoulders. "I got some treats for Alley," he said to her. Ben had a British accent that Becca found extremely cute.

"Ben, she can't have those for a while. She's still a kitten," Becca told him as he dropped a bag of Friskies tuna flavored treats in the basket.

"Well in that case, when she can have them, they will be there for us to give to her." He smiled at Becca. She returned it with one of her own and an eye roll. They joined Grace and Jace just as she was asking if his dreams had gotten any better.

"Yeah actually, they are. The Sweet Dreams dust from the fey is working. It's a stupid name, though."

"Jace, you think everything is stupid," Becca said, coming around the corner.

"Yes, I do. Especially these foul little chocolates." He opens the bag, and leaves half of one on the shelf as they walk away. "I prefer gourmet chocolates."

Becca rolls her eyes. "Of course you do Jace." She intently studied the shelf, trying to decide between Honey Nut Cheerios or Fruity Pebbles. Ben decided for her grabbing one of each and sticking it in the basket.

"Why does he always act like he has a stick up his ass?" Ben asked, loud enough so that only Becca could hear.

"Because he's Jace," she said matter-of-factly.

Just then Jace gave a sigh of boredom. "I'm going to look at those pathetic mundane knives. Be right back," he said, turning to leave, but Becca stopped him.

"Wait a second. That reminds me—I was wondering if I could use a seraph blade," she said, looking at him.

He paused and looked at her suspiciously. "Why?" he asked slowly.

"My stupid neighbor's dog won't shut up," she said, thinking about the annoying mutt.

"You should know by now that seraph blades are only used for demonic presences. They could brutally harm anything else," he informed, bored.

She scowled. "That's the point. I hate that stupid dog."

"You'll get me in trouble with the Clave if I allow you to use my weapon—especially for that purpose."

"Well then you use it. It keeps me up all night," she said, getting annoyed at Jace.

"No. I think you deserve it for calling my girlfriend fat and moody," Jace said, putting his arm around Grace comfortingly.

"Hey. I thought she was pregnant and I never said she was fat. Besides, I was excited because I want to be an aunt. You, however, hate kids," Becca said accusingly.

"Yes, yes I do," Jace said, unashamed.

Ben and Grace stood to the side watching tiredly as Becca and Jace started arguing over nothing in particular. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

"What seems to be the problem?" a random guy suddenly asked. He was wearing clothes that looked to be from the early 20th century and seeing him Becca and Jace stopped bickering immediately.

"Dude that is some seriously outdated stuff you're wearing," Jace commented.

Becca scoffs. "Coming from the guy who doesn't know what e-Bay is," she said.

Jace glared at her and then directed his attention back at the stranger. "Honestly, this conversation has no need for your frivolous comments," he told him condescendingly.

"Um, pardon me, but my name is Philip Walker. I am looking for a certain pocket watch. Have any of you seen in by chance?"

"I haven't seen a damn pocket watch. Get lost. We are TRYING to have an argument here," Becca says, but she is ignored by Jace who continues talking to Philip.

"How about buying a wrist watch? It's much more useful," Jace suggests.

Philip looks at Becca stunned at her rudeness. "I'm sorry, but is there something going on here that I can help with?" he asked.

"Want to help? Jump off a bridge and take her with you," Jace said to Philip, pointing at Becca.

"Wha…you jackass!" Becca spluttered indignantly.

"I don't think that is proper language for a lady," Philip said, shocked at her words.

"I don't care. I am really pissed off at him," she said, pointing to Jace. "So much for trying to get along for my friend's sake." She looks at Grace. "I'm sorry Grace, I really tried."

"Well, you two seem to have calmed down a bit. What seems to be the issue at hand?" Philip asks much like a psychiatrist.

"She's a nosey bitch," Jace said quickly.

Becca looked at him murderously. "I am not nosey!" she exclaimed, angrily.

Jace looked at her. "So you're a bitch?" he asked, smirking at her.

"Only to you or someone extremely annoying," she said, crossing her arms for emphasis.

"My girlfriend is not a bitch," Ben says to Jace and Philip.

He is ignored, and Becca points at Jace. "He is a selfish stuck up jackass," she said with squinted, accusing eyes.

"Is this true?" Philip asks, immensely enjoying playing the therapist.

"Of course not!" Jace exclaims. "I just happen to know that I am irresistible to the opposite sex. I am hot, semi-immortal, and proud of it!"

Philip gives Jace a quizzical look and leans over to Becca. "Is he mental?" Philip asks, keeping a wary eye on Jace.

"Yes," Becca said.

At the same time, Jace shouted, "NO!"

"But you just said you were hot and you are clearly not on fire," Philip countered, as if it were the most logical thing on earth.

When he said that Becca gave him a weird look and stepped away from him. "I think he's the mental one," she said to Jace who nodded in agreement.

"In a way I am on fire," he said.

Becca rolls her eyes and groans. "Oh, God. Kill. Me. Now."

Jace raised an eyebrow at her and reached for his seraph blade. "That can be arranged," he replied, taking a step towards her.

She backed away. "Put the blade away Jace!" she shirked, her claws extending from her fingers.

"Damn it!" Jace spat. "Almost."

Philip stared at Becca and Jace then looked at Ben and Grace who were still standing to the side, looking bored.

"Clearly you have problems to work out," Philip said, bewildered.

"No shit, Sherlock," Becca said disdainfully at his obvious statement.

"I am still quite conbobulated," Philip said, eliciting a stare from everyone.

"Nice! Can I use that?" Jace asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Philip said, looking confused. It was becoming a normal look for him.

"That word. It's flickin'."

"Flickin'? Really, Jace?" Becca asked.

"Yeah, there was this guy on a couples' retreat I met when I was still dating Clary and he used that word. Made it up. I hope he doesn't have a patent on it," Jace explained, acquiring a thoughtful look as he tried to recall if the guy had said anything about a patent.

"Please, I beg of you, someone explain! You, sir!" Philip points at Ben hoping for an explanation.

Ben looked up startled. "Who, me?" he asked.

Philip nodded his head. "Yes."

"What do you want?" Ben asked.

Philip sighed. "I want someone to explain to me what is going on."

"Oh. So It started when Becca thought Grace was pregnant but she really wasn't and it turns out that Jace won't do it with her and Grace shouted it to the whole store. Then Becca was confused because Jace and Grace have been together for years and we were shopping for cereal and Becca wanted a seraph blade to kill her neighbor's dog because, believe me, that dog won't shut up for anything and keeps her up all night. Then Becca and Jace started insulting each other and arguing which is nothing new to us and then you showed up," Ben explained at rapid pace, then started examining some cat toys on the end cap of an aisle.

Philip stared blankly at Ben. "Alright, then. I believe that this issue is beyond my ability to grasp due to its complexity of modern time problems. Nevertheless, I will try. Jace, as they call you, you won't show compassion to your wife because you are frightened?" Philip offered.

Jace looked at him like he was stupid. "One, I'm not afraid of anything. Two, she's not my wife," he deadpanned like it was common knowledge.

"Oh. Oh, well I see your problem. You are not married, and therefore you have made some illogical explanation in your mind that something terrible will happen if you, ahem, pardon me, before you ask her hand in marriage," Philip explained, blushing slightly at his 'pardon me'.

Jace gives Philip yet another strange look. "Are you from the past or something?"

"Precisely," Philip said, tugging on the lapels of his coat. Jace and Becca looked at each other then took a step back from Philip.

"Do not be frightened. I come in peace," he reassures.

Becca leans over to Jace. "What is he, an alien?" she whispered jokingly. Jace took it an entirely different way.

"OH, MY GOD! HE'S AN ALIEN! RUN BEFORE HE EATS YOUR FACE!" Jace screamed, and started running around in circles and flailing his arms around. People started looking at Jace in terror and grabbing their kids, leaving the store quickly. Becca and Grace sighed, rolled their eyes. Ben just looked on, once again confused.

"Why on earth are you behaving so foolishly? And what, pray tell, is an alien?" Philip asked.

Jace looked at Philip wild eyed and pointed an accusing finger in Philips face, then thought better of it and pulled it back. "You! You are an alien. Run for your lives!" Jace shouted, and ran out of the store.

Becca looked at Grace. "I told you that you would have been better off with Kyle," she said.

Then they all followed Jace out of the store.


	2. Taking Sides

"Honestly, what is an alien?" Philip asks. "You all are so childish in this millennium."

With no response from the three, Jace suddenly jumps out of bush and attacks Philip, knocking him to the ground. "What the hell are you?"

"God, Jace not everyone is in a conspiracy," Becca says, astonished by Jace's impulsiveness. "Get off of him."

He ignored her. Philip's breath was shortened by Jace's weight pinning him down. "I already told you. I am Philip Walker of year 1910."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't believe anything," Becca said.

Philip sighs exasperatedly. "Well, then fine. Let me up and I will find my pocket watch so that I may return."

Jace eyes him conspicuously before reluctantly getting up. Philip stands gratefully and brushes off the dust from his suit coat.

"Wait, so what is he? I didn't have my coffee this morning," Ben says.

"He's from the past, Ben," Grace clarifies. She then focused her gaze to Philip's sapphire blue eyes. "Why are you here?"

Philip smiles. "Ah, you must be Grace, meaning beauty and elegance."

Grace blushes, and Jace clenches his fists.

"Um. Yeah, sure," Grace meekly agrees.

Becca rolls her eyes.

Grace says, "There really was no intended meaning pertaining to myself. My mother just liked the name."

Philip just smiles politely and holds out his hand. Grace takes it and he kisses the top of hers instead of shaking. His gaze roves up her arm, looking out from under his dark lashes until his eyes meet hers. "It's an honor, miss."

Grace blushes a deep shade of pink.

Philip then releases her and holds out his hand to Becca. Meanwhile, she is trying to contain her laughter at the look on Jace's face after kissing Grace's hand.

Before Philip's lips can touch her hand, though, she takes his and gives it a firm shake, then removes it from his grasp.

Philip looks hurt. "Nice too meet you as well, madam. What might your name be?"

"My name is Becca. It means pledged to God."

Philip looks thoughtful. "Ah, well then I suppose you shouldn't be speaking the way you do if you are pledged to Him. Foul language, indeed."

Jace snickers.

"Hey, you should be saying that to Mr. Angel over here," Becca says, giving Jace the evil eye.

"I've got a get out of jail free card from the blood that courses through my veins. I don't have to stay on good behavior," Jace counters.

"You're the one who's always saying that you're pure. I never claimed anything," Becca said. "I'm not perfect."

Grace intervenes before they go at it again. "Philip, is there any way we can help you? I mean, can you remember how you got here?"

Philip furrows his brow handsomely. "I was just on my way to the publishing building. You see, I'm a composer of music and have been playing the piano since I was three. It was required by my parents. They said I must have musical education because of my fine pedigree."

Jace couldn't help himself. "What are you? A show dog?"

Grace shushes Jace. "Yes, tell us more."

"I was on the corner of Weston and Smith when I decided to look at my watch to make sure that I was not going to be late. But before I could I was knocked out. When I awoke, I was in the middle of the same streets, sprawled out on a sidewalk that wasn't there before. The buildings were larger and seemed to be made of platinum and glass. I found my way here, to this strange and dirty place called Wal-Mart, hoping to find answers as to where I was and why things were almost like an inverse of my universe."

He continues, "Unfortunately whoever had robbed me of my gold and sanity also took my watch. It was given to me by my father who was very dear to me. He died when I was ten."

Grace reached out to touch his hand. "Philip, we're going to get you home, don't worry."

Jace raises his eyes. "Oh, really? Thanks Grace. Thanks a lot."

"What is wrong with you?" Grace scolds him. "He needs help. We can't just leave him here. He tried to help us, even though there was clearly nothing to help with."

Jace gaze bore into Grace. "You don't have to flirt with him to get him back to his time."

Grace asks, "What are you talking about?

"First you blush when he kisses your hand, and then you touch him! In front of me no less!" Jace argues. Rage is written all over his face.

Grace sighs. "Jace, I touched his hand because I was trying to console him. Secondly, I did not blush. Thirdly, the sooner we get him back the happier you'll be. Agreed?"

Jace shouts, creating yet another scene, "You did blush! I saw you! So did everyone else! Right, guys?" he asks, eagerly looking to Ben and Becca.

They look anywhere but at Jace and Grace.

Philip clears his throat. "As I remember it, Graceful One, you did blush."

Grace looks at him blandly. "Philip, that is not helping your situation one bit."

Jace was clearly angry. "Damn straight," he says, debating whether or not to attack Philip again.

"Oh for the love of God," Grace says tiredly. "Can we all just shut up for one second and STOP FIGHTING?" Angrily, she turns to Jace. "We are going to help him whether you like it or not. I am sick of you and Becca fighting over something so stupid."

Becca just stands there hoping to fade into the background.

Grace then turns to Ben. "You of all people right now are my favorite because you've barely said five words since coming to Wal-Mart to get Jace some stupid candy that he hated anyway." Finally, she turns to Philip. "We are going to help you. And if they won't, I will." Determination is written all over her face.

"Like hell I'm letting you be around him by yourself. You'll probably jump the poor guy," Jace accuses, aggravated.

Grace sniffs. "Honestly, Jace. I'm not that desperate for it."

Philip, however, had his mind on something Jace said. "Poor? I'm actually quite wealthy."

Becca intervenes, "Well he sure as hell isn't giving it to you," she says, referring to Jace.

Grace whirls on her. "Becca, stop. I can't take this incongruous fighting anymore between you two."

Philip grins. "Wonderful use of grammar, dear."

Jace stops dead. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL MY GIRLFRIEND?"

Philip blinks. "Dear? It means valued, in case you hadn't known."

"Really? I didn't know that," Jace says in an angry, mock-interested tone.

"Yes," Philip says. "And Grace should be valued, since it seems she is the only logical one here."

Jace is enraged at the dig. "Well I'm glad YOU think MY girlfriend should be valued so much." He lunges at Philip, but Ben bravely steps between them and clunks their heads together. They both groan in pain.

"Jesus, you are all whack," Ben says, looking at them both.

The girls stare at Ben with their mouths open.

"How did you do that?" Becca asks. They both look at Jace and Philip on the floor out cold.

"Mai training," Ben says simply. "I had to learn pressure points and all that crap."

"But…but…he's Jace," Grace says unbelievingly.

Becca is still just staring at Ben.

Grace notices. "Ben, watch out. Becca has that boy-crazy look in her eye again," she teases.

Ben smiles. "I haven't seen that look since we first met. I've missed it."

Grace smiles as well. "Aw! See? Now that's nice. Come on, let's hug it out." She moves closer to them.

Becca shakes her head. "You really don't want me to hug him right now."

Grace knowingly shakes her head as her eyes go wide. "Oh, okay. Never mind. No touching each other."

Ben nods. "That's probably best."

Becca shrugs. "I could control myself, but I don't know about him."

Grace, already knowing about their tendencies, said, "Ew, alright; too much information."

"She speaks the truth," Ben says.

Grace snorts. "That would be a first." Seeing Becca's expression, she adds, "I said that for Jace. He would have himself if he was awake."

Becca puffs her chest out. "Yeah? Well he can—" she stops herself. "You know what? I'll be nice. Just don't get used to it." She kicks Jace slightly hard with her toe. "There. I feel better now."

"Hey!" Grace shouts.

Just then, Jace and Philip stir.

Jace is the first one to sit up. "What the hell just happened to me?" he asked, rubbing his head.

Philip sits up as well, slowly. "Who made me pass out? This was uncalled for."

Grace smiles. "Oh, I'm so glad you guys are up." She reaches for Philip because he looks more awake.

Jace looks shocked. "What the—" he turns red. "Really, Grace? I am right here!"

Grace looks at him. "What? You don't look very stable. You'd better sit down for a while."

"It never crossed your mind to check on your boyfriend first?" he asks her, feeling jealous.

"Jace, I've seen you get hit harder than that before," Grace says. Philip holds onto Grace's waist to stabilize himself, looking woozy.

Jace is up in an instant. "Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend!"

Philip looks down at his hands. "They are quite clean, I have you know. And I am not touching your 'girlfriend' in inappropriate ways."

"You have your damn hands on her waist. No dude's hands go there but mine. Remove them from her waist before I remove them from your arms," Jace threatens.

Philip does as he is told removing his hands from Grace almost as if she had burned him.

Jace then walks over and puts his arm possessively around Grace's waist. "That's better," he says, glaring at Philip.

Grace is expressionless. "Jace, that was pathetic."

Jace shrugs, his arms still around her. "It got him off of you, so I don't really care."

Grace detaches Jace from her. "Let's go," she says, grabbing Philip's hand then Becca's and Ben's.

Jace looks truly shocked. "What the hell? I am the sexy one here. Why are you holding HIS hand?" he says, nodding towards Grace and Philip's linked hands.

Grace, however, keeps on walking with no response.

"The silent treatment, huh? Great," Jace says to himself.

Grace is still not speaking to him, knowing he would break down eventually.

I'm not going to follow them, Jace thinks. Let her do what she wants. If anything happens between them I'll kill him. How long is it going to take them? Fine. I'll go.

"Wait up!" Jace yells. "You need someone who knows how to kick ass."

"Well, by the display Ben has just put on, I'm pretty sure we're good with him if you want to stay here," Grace tells him, flouncing off with her dignity, hips swinging.

Jace's jaw drops at what she said. "What display?"

"Knocking you out," Grace says simply.

Jace now understood. "Like hell he—"

Ben does it again and threw Jace over his shoulder. "So where to?"

Graces smiles. Since Jace was her boyfriend, she bends down to kiss his cheek. "It would do you some good if you weren't always trying to be so macho," she says to him, even though he is yet again unconscious.

Becca claps her hands together. "Amen! I agree with you on that, sister," she says enthusiastically.

"So where are we going again?" Ben asks.


	3. Turmoil

Everyone once again stares at Ben as he holds a knocked out Jace over his shoulder.

"I didn't say where we are going. And was it really necessary to knock him out again?" Grace asked, cocking her head at Ben. He looked pointedly at her hand before answering.

"Considering where your hand is I figured we wouldn't get anywhere fast if he was awake and I didn't really feel like listening to him go on and on about himself right now."

Becca barely contained a snicker as she watched Grace's eyes go wide as she jerked her hand out of Philips as if he had burned her, Philip looking just as guilty as Grace. Grace cleared her throat her face burning as she said, "We need to go to the place where Philip was attacked."

"Well, where was that again, Philip?" Becca asked, looking at him.

"The streets of Weston and Smith," he responded evenly.

Ben grunted. "Can we go then? I may have more strength than a normal human but he's getting heavy."

Becca looked at Ben holding Jace thoughtfully. "We could just leave him here," she offered. Philip, Ben and she stop to consider it. Grace's jaw drops at them.

"You are NOT leaving him here. He said he wanted to go, so I say we bring him. At least he's finally quiet," Grace huffed, crossing her arms. The trio in favor of leaving him looks reluctant.

Ben looks at Grace thoughtfully then at Becca. "You could take her, love," he says to Becca motioning with his head at Grace who gives him a glare. Before she can say anything to him, Philip cuts her off.

"I will hear no such talk. We all go," he said, straightening his jacket.

Grace shoots another glare in Ben's direction. "I agree," she says venomously. She hails a cab and Ben struggles to put Jace in the front as everyone else piles in the back. Ben finally squishes Jace in the middle and climbs in afterward. The cab driver looks warily at Jace.

"Poor bloke, had a bit too much to drink," Ben said as way to explain Jace's unconscious state.

The ride is unusually silent, and once the four reach their destination, Jace is finally beginning to stir. Ben only has to hold him a bit before he wakes up completely.

"Where are we? By the Angel, my head hurts." Jace groans.

"Oh, thank Basset," Ben says, as he realizes Jace is awake. He dumps him unceremoniously on the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Well, I'm glad you're up. Maybe now that you've had your nap you'll be less cranky to help us," Grace says, looking down at her boyfriend who was currently glaring at Ben. He then looked to her, crankier than before.

"What the hell do you think I am? Superman?" Jace asked harshly. He winced at the throbbing in his head. "Man I need an ibuprofen."

Becca had some in her purse and offered a couple caplets astounding Ben and Grace, although they didn't say anything.

"Jace, honey, I can't say I'm not surprised that you know who Superman is, or Ibuprofen for that matter," Grace said.

"Benjamin was forced to use his Mai pressure points on you before you could cause any more ruckus," Philip informed Jace. "And pertaining to a previous question, we are now standing on the corner of Weston and Smith, in case you were still wondering." He pauses, looking around him. "We are going to need to check all around this location, and if it is not here, it will be at the watch repair shop over there. It was here for years because it is around in my dimension." He indicated a shop across the block.

Becca furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why would it be in a watch repair shop if it was stolen?" she inquired.

"Because my watch is not just any watch, Miss. It is the first and last of its kind. It is extremely rare and is the device that allows me to portal to and fro between worlds," he responded.

"Well, that still doesn't explain why it would be there," Ben said, placing his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

"The person who stole it would want to find out more information about it once they realize that it is extraordinary. And if it's secret is revealed, that could jeopardize your world as well as mine." Everyone stopped and stared at him.

"Well that explains it," Becca said, blinking.

"Well let's just not sit here. I want you to get your pompous butt back to where you came from pronto," Jace said.

They all start searching for the watch and when they can't find it, Plan B is initiated. They all jaywalked across the street and stepped onto the side walk. As they walked to the store, Grace's sneaker catches on the curb. Philip reacts quickly and catches her before she falls.

Jace's face screws up in rage. "Okay this isn't going to work. Grace, I think we should go."

Grace ignores him. "Ouch!" Grace exclaims. "That would have hurt. Thank you Philip," she says, smiling at Philip who is still holding her.

Jace looks at Becca. "Am I not the only one seeing this? Am I going crazy?" he asked, almost in a panic.

Becca rolls her eyes at him. "Jace, I have always thought you were crazy, but no. You aren't the only one seeing it," she said, glancing at Philip and Grace. Becca had always known her friend was oblivious to any guy coming onto her unless it was Jace.

"What are we talking about?" Ben asked curiously.

Becca sighed. Ben, too, was oblivious but that was on a regular basis. She quietly informed him of what was going on as the drama in front of them unfolded.

"Drop her," Jace suddenly demanded of Philip menacingly.

Philip looked at him startled. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"I. Said. Drop. Her." He enunciated each word threateningly, pulling out a seraph blade. Philip dropped her and she fell to the ground with an oof.

"Jace!"

He picks her up—regretting not catching her first—and then grabs her to him possessively.

"Jace! What the hell?" Grace shoves him away.

"What? I was trying to save our relationship from being ripped apart by this tool," he protested, indicating Philip with a nod of his head.

Philip lifts his head haughtily. "I happen to have been accepted to Harvard and Julliard," he counters proudly.

"'I happen to have been accepted to Harvard and Julliard'," Jace mockingly repeats. "Who the hell cares? You are hitting on my girlfriend."

Philip looks confused. "I have caused her no harm at all. I would never hit her. You, however, have blatantly dropped her onto the pavement," Philip retorts with a glare.

Jace rolls his eyes.

"It means, idiot," he mutters under his breath, "—that you are trying to steal her from me."

"She is of your possession? You are not yet wed," Philip says, clearly thrown off by modern terminology.

"Even if we were I wouldn't be OWNED by him. God. That is so sexist," Grace mutters, clearly peeved by all the arguing.

"He is hopeless." Jace sighs. "We're leaving, Grace. Let's go." He grabs her hand to lead her away but she jerks her hand out of his.

"No we're not. I promised I would help him get back to his dimension, therefore I will," she stubbornly replied, standing her ground.

"He's trying to tear us apart. We haven't even found the damn watch. It probably doesn't exist," Jace says, exasperated.

Grace looks at Philip and puts her hands on her hips. "Does it exist? Or am I risking my relationship for nothing?" she asks, pinning him with her stare.

"It exists."

Ben and Jace stare at Philip with unreadable expressions on their faces as Philip's coat looks like a cape flapping in the breeze.

"Who do you think you are, Superman?" they ask simultaneously.

Grace stares at Jace long and hard. "Once again, I can't believe you know who that is, Jace," she repeats, shaking her head.

Jace shrugs. "Ben, has been teaching me some things."

Ben nods in agreement with Jace. "It's true. I am teaching him all things superhero."

"And who may I ask is it that you believe I bear resemblance to?" Philip questions.

"Superman. One of the first superheroes to be imagined," Ben stated, proud to know this.

Philip scoffs. "A super-human? I have heard of that fictional poppycock. It is merely for children," he says, causing Ben, Jace, and surprisingly Becca to be slightly peeved.

"But it's still cool," Ben defends.

"Yeah," Becca says. "Ironman rules."

Grace has been holding back a laugh. "Boys, please. You are speaking to a man who has no interest in your childish likings," Grace informed them.

Becca gave her a look as Jace and Ben protested being called boys. "I am NOT a boy," Becca vehemently stated.

"Yes, but I wasn't referring to you, Becca," Grace explained.

"We could take him with our hands tied behind our backs," Jace said, speaking of Ben and him beating up Philip—a scenario he found himself liking more and more as the day wore on.

Grace smirked. "Exactly. He has no use for violence or testosterone brutishness," she stated matter-of-factly.

Becca barely contained a snort at Ben and Jace's expressions.

"He doesn't mind breaking up our relationship. That doesn't seem very manly to me," Jace spluttered, getting worked up once again.

Grace puffs out air and rolls her eyes. "He isn't breaking anything up. You're just overly jealous—and for what I have no idea. Jace, I'm not exactly special. You can have any girl in the world. So if you're so damn unhappy go find someone else. The bed isn't exactly big enough for two anyway if you catch my drift," Grace snapped, her eyes flashing.

Ben and Becca's jaws drop open at her outburst. "Oh, snap," Ben said quietly.

Philip looked uncomfortable. "Can we stop all this nonsense?" he asked, trying to bring the embarrassing dispute to an end.

"NO!" they all shout.

"I've had enough of him, or is it not enough of him. So tell me, Jace, what will it be?" Grace fixed him with a glare and once again placed her hands on her hips.

Ben and Becca stare eyes wide.

"I…I…I…" Jace stammers shocked.

Ben slaps Jace on the back.

"I love you, Grace."

"Sure you do." She rolls her eyes, her voice taking a very sarcastic tone. "That explains why on Valentine's Day there are no candles."

Ben face-palmed. "Dude, you are sunk. Valentine's Day is THE day for gir—women. For some reason it's important," he informed Jace.

"Valentine's Day? Why would a day be named after my dad? He's a dick," Jace said.

Philip cleared his throat. "Language," he said.

"No one cares about the damn language!" they all shout at him.

"Jace, it isn't named after him, AND HE ISN'T YOUR FATHER!" Grace practically screams at him.

"Well then why would anyone pick that terrible name for a holiday?" Jace asked no one in particular.

Becca decided to inform him of what the holiday was about. "It's a holiday where couples show each other with presents or...other things...how they feel about each other."

"And you clearly DO NOT do that," Grace spat at Jace whose face reddened with slight embarrassment—which he would never admit—and anger.

"Well, then what do you want me to say?" he asked, his face stony.

"I want you to get over what is keeping you from me. I love you so much but, this just...feels wrong. I just want all of you," Grace responded, almost crying.

"Well, that….can't happen," Jace said.

"Fine," she responded icily.

"Fine."

"Oooh! Banana Bread!" Ben interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Grace said.

Ben points to a bakery down the street and grabs Becca's hand. "See? Looks good right? How about Becca and I go get a slice while you guys check out the watch shop, okay?" Ben doesn't wait for an answer as he drags Becca with him towards the bakery.

Grace grabs Philips hand and shoots Jace a dirty look over her shoulder as they walk into the watch shop.

….

"Banana Bread? Really, Ben? That was the best you could come up with?" Becca asked.

"Well, it got us out of there didn't it?" Ben replied defensively.

Becca sighed. He was right. She had to give him that much.

Ben turned to the baker behind the counter. "We would like a loaf of banana bread sliced, please."

Becca gave him a look. "A loaf? I thought we were getting a slice each," she asked curiously.

Ben sighs. "Becca, I am a growing boy. A slice to you is a slice. A slice to me is a crumb. But I'm gonna share with you," he tells her.

She gets a hurt look on her face. "Becca? Since when do you call me Becca? You always call me 'love' or 'darling' never Becca." She turns away from him and walks out of the store heading for the watch shop, leaving a dumbfounded Ben behind.


	4. Mysterious Pocket Watch

When Grace, Philip, and Jace walked into the shop the three of them went up to the counter where an elderly man sat behind it, repairing a watch. He looked almost as old as the building he worked in, but they knew that was impossible since it was built in Philip's era.

He peeked above the rim of his glasses when he saw them approach. "Why, hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes," Grace answered. "We met this man today at Wal-Mart and he said that he had lost a rare pocket watch on the streets earlier. Has anyone come in today asking for you to appraise such an item?"

"I get many watches every day from customers asking for me to price them, but I'm getting up in age so I can't remember anything that specific..."

"You would remember this particular watch, sir," Philip interjected. "It is unique. Very unique. Unlike anything you have ever seen before."

"Why, I can't say that I have. My eye sight is failing you see." Suddenly the man shouted to Jace, "Young man! Don't touch that!"

Jace then dropped a watch he was examining and its glass face shattered on impact when it hit the wood floor. His only response was one syllable, "Oops."

"Nice Jace," Becca said sarcastically. "Way to break something."

Grace looks at the door to see Becca standing in the frame. "Hey. Where'd Ben run off to?"

"He's getting his freaking 'slice' of banana bread," she said haughtily.

"I can pay for that," Jace told the shopkeeper off-topic, pointing to the shattered watch on the floor.

Grace raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Why the air quotations on the word slice?" she asked Becca.

"He got a damn loaf because he's a growing boy. And he called me Becca."

"He called you Becca? He never calls you Becca," Grace said.

"I know. It pissed me off."

"Do you happen to have a young female here by any chance? One that I can speak with about this payment?" Jace asked, coming up to the counter. "Or possibly bribe?" he whispered to the man.

"Jace," Becca began, "stop being an ass and pay for the damn watch."

Grace glared at him. "Why do you need to speak to a YOUNG FEMALE, Jace? Why can't you just pay this nice man right here?"

Jace mumbles something incoherent and Becca makes out the words, "temptation...sexy...anything I want."

Becca went steely. "Jace stop being a jackass to my best friend before I make you stare at your ass permanently."

Grace rolls her eyes. "Forgive him. He's immature at times," she says to the old man.

Jace stomps his foot. "I am NOT immature!"

The shopkeeper smiles and leans closer to Grace. "I normally say this to the men that come in here with beautiful women, but I will say this to you —keep him on a short leash or you'll never know what kind of mutt he will get a disease from."

Grace laughs. "I'll remember that."

The man looks at Jace, then back at Grace and lowers his voice. "You may want to get him neutered. He seems to be a lost cause."

Grace scoffs. "You're telling me."

Becca comes over to them from eavesdropping on their conversation. "Nah. He apparently has too much restraint in that area." Becca glares at Jace for her friend's benefit.

"Here we go again," Philip runs a hand over his face. "Please, can you tell me if you have seen my watch? It is of utmost importance."

"There is a box over there that I put all of the unclaimed watches in," the old man informs. "You may look for it there."

Philip's face lights up. "Thank you so much." He goes over to the box and sorts through just as Ben bursts through the door shouting Becca's name.

"God, Ben! What is it?" Becca covers her ears. "Must you yell?"

Jace glances to the door. "Oh. It's you again. Bring me back any grub?"

Ben throws the banana bread at him hard and runs over to Becca and grabs her into a hug, almost cutting off her air.

"Oookay then," Grace comments. She and Philip exchange glances while Jace shoves his mouth full of banana bread.

"Why did you run away from me like that?" Ben asked. "I was worried sick these past three minutes."

"You know why!" Becca yelled.

"Honestly, no. I don't. I offered to buy you a slice of bread and you freaked out," Ben said sincerely.

"Men. So clueless," Grace says out loud to no one in particular.

"Becca, I'm a growing boy…." she quotes.

"Well, I am." Ben shrugs.

With a frustrated sigh, Becca responds, "Focus on the first part of what you said."

"Becca?" Ben asks for confirmation.

Becca nods and gives him a look to keep thinking.

"And that is your name, right?" Ben asks her, finally.

"Dude, really? It's right in front of your face man," Jace tell him around a mouthful of bread.

Becca throws up her hands. "Even Jace gets it!"

Jace swallows. "Was that a disguised insult?"

Becca glares. "Oh like you aren't used to it."

Ben looks hurt. "That's your name. Why can't I call you it?" He gives her sad eyes.

"The puppy dog face isn't going to work this time," she says. "I can't believe you don't get it when Jace does. AND HE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE ME!"

"Damn straight," Jace agrees.

"What would you prefer me to call you then, baby?" Ben tries.

"Ohmigod!" Becca explodes. "What you normally call me! Darling, love. Something like that."

"Okay, then, darling. Goodness. It must be your time or something," Ben states.

Jace snickers.

Becca's eyes widen. "Ben!"

"What?"

"Ben!" Grace echoes Becca.

"Once again, what?" Ben asks.

"Dude, you've got a death wish," Jace says.

Becca starts crying from embarrassment and runs out of the store completely upset.

"So temperamental," Ben says, following her out, but still confused about what he said to make Becca react in the way she did.

"So Philip, have you found anything?" Grace asks.

"Unfortunately, no. But there is another box on the top shelf. Help me get it?" he asks her.

Grace shrugs. "Sure."

Philip boosts her up, his hands on her waist, and Grace grabs the box. Her shirt rose up in the back just slightly when she extended, but enough to make Jace fume.

"Stay calm," Jace tells himself. "You're already in the dog house. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm."

Philip blushes and looks away.

"I can't quite reach it…" Philip pushes her up higher, his biceps bulging underneath her full weight. "Ah! There we go."

Jace barely controls the rage on his face at Philips blush.

Philip gently lowers Grace, and sets her down with his hands lingering at her waist. Grace holds the box between them and beams triumphantly up at him. "Got it!"

Jace can't control himself any longer. "Get your damn hands off my girlfriend! I'm sick and tired of you trying to steal her away from me and I won't stand for it any longer!"

"I thought we already went through this," Philip says. "Your 'girlfriend' if that is what you call your paramour, is in no danger of being taken from you. Calm down, for goodness sake."

"Then don't. Touch. Her," Jace hisses, enunciating every word.

"She was helping me reach a box out of my grasp," Philip defends.

"I very well could have lifted her up to grab the box. But you have to be Mr. Grabby Hands and hold her up there and stare at her butt. That is MY job. NOT yours. Then of all things YOU BLUSHED! From looking at MY GIRLFRIEND."

Just then Ben drags Becca back in the shop, her eyes puffy.

"I did no such thing," Philip responds to Jace.

"Becca!" Grace says seeing Becca. She then looked to Ben concernedly. "Is she okay?"

Jace was red-faced. "Who cares if she's ok? I sure as hell don't! You know what? I'm gonna teach this perv a lesson," he says, stepping towards Philip.

"Jace! Control yourself. You're acting unacceptable right now," Grace warns her boyfriend.

Philip moves slightly in front of her as protection from Jace, hoping no one would notice.

Seeing the slight shift, Jace goes eerily calm and gives a short laugh. "You did not just do what I think you did."

"What are you talking about?" Grace asks him.

"He just stepped in front of you trying to protect you from me," he tells her, then looks at Philip with a glare that could kill. "You really think I'm going hurt my girlfriend? No, I'm not. But I'm going hurt the bastard in front of her that keeps trying to take her from me." He cracks his knuckles.

Philip waves a hand dismissively. "Please. I'm sure that she would LOVE to leave you. She is obviously unhappy with how you act. I treat her with respect as a gentleman should."

By this point the shopkeeper left briefly into the next room to make some popcorn then swiftly returned in a safer location to watch the drama unfold.

"Jace, are you saying that you actually care for me?" Graces asks him, unsure.

"Gracie, I have always cared for you. And it's making me mad that you can't see what this pervert is doing to us."

Grace is genuinely confused. "But if you care for me, why won't you…" she trails off.

Ben speaks up. "I think Philip will," he says as an answer to her unfinished question.

Philip blushes a deep hue of red.

Jace looks as if he's ready to commit murder. "No. You. Didn't."

Grace steps closer to Philip, placing a hand on his shoulder for reassurance. "Jace? What's wrong?"

"Alright, that's it. I'm going to kill him now. I was going to just make you endure great pain, but no. Now you're dead," Jace says to Philip.

Philip backs away from him and bumps into a chair.

Using that deliciously opportune moment, Jace takes three strides towards Philip and used the heel of his boot to push him the rest of the way into the chair. Now Philip was sitting looking up into Jace's menacing face.

Jace smirks. "Say bye bye to life, my amigo." He pulls out a dagger from his waist and quickly slices it across Philip's cheek, just enough to make him squirm.

Shocked, Philip begins to feel a trickle of warm blood run down his defined cheek bone and along his neck until it reaches his collar, soaking his white cotton shirt.

Jace grins as if he had done this a thousand times and it was now something he was well used to.

"Where's a vampire when you need one?" Jace asked.

"Vampires are real?" Ben asked.

Jace rolls his eyes. "Yes, you idiot, of course vampires are real."

"So are fairies and warlocks," Grace adds.

"What about mummies?" Philip asks.

"Everyone knows mummies aren't real," Ben answers.

Jace grins. "Thank you, Ben."

"You're welcome." Ben's eyes were aglow with Jace's gratitude. "Need any help with the, what did you call him? Perm?"

"Perv, Ben. Get it straight," Jace told him.

"Sorry. I may have super sensitive hearing but these walls are stone—a bit harder to hear through."


	5. Cheating and Silk Legs

A few days later, Grace and Becca were in Becca's apartment waiting for Ben and Jace to return from a "job" as Jace called it. In other words they went to kill a demon, and Becca was complaining about Philip again.

"I can't believe he thought you would want to come over to his house. I wouldn't go anywhere near it," Becca said, eating a piece of apple dipped in caramel.

Grace finished her bite and responded, "I did go once. To hear him play piano," she added.

Becca almost choked. "You went to his house?" she managed to spit out around coughs.

Grace tried to avoid the question. "By the way, he calls Jace a pompous egotistical jackass. I thought you might agree," Grace offered quickly. "I told him it was rude."

"Well yes. He is at times. But we are starting to get along better, so Philip better watch what he says about my frenemy," Becca said, waving her hand animatedly.

"Aw. Really? You must have seen Little Jace," Grace commented. Becca turned green. Grace started laughing. "Just kidding! Don't freak."

"Freak? More like barf. And I will have you know I don't cheat on my boyfriend," Becca said, raising her eyebrows meaningfully. "And if a guy is all over me then I avoid him."

"I don't cheat on Jace!" Grace protested, her apple slice stopping halfway to her mouth.

"Me thinketh the lady doth protest too much," Becca grinned at Grace's expression.

"Philip got smacked. Don't worry. Then he apologized and kissed my wrist when I left saying that he was being inappropriate. What does that mean? Why not the hand?" Grace inquired of Becca.

Becca acted like she was contemplating some deep meaning to it all then snapped her fingers. "By Joe, I think I've got it," she said with a mischievous glint to her eye. "Maybe it's because…." she trailed off and Grace leaned forward towards Becca.

"Because what? WHAT?" Grace asked, rather loudly causing Becca to wince.

"Grace, c'mon. My ears are rather sensitive now you know," she said, rubbing them.

"Sorry. So…what?" Grace asked again.

Becca rolled her eyes. "Because he is trying to steal you from Jace! Just like Jace said the other day? You thought he was being ridiculous but he wasn't the only one who saw it, Grace," Becca said. "Even Ben saw it."

"Ben is a cat. He doesn't count," Grace said, flipping her hand dismissively.

"He is not a cat. I admit he can be a bit clueless at times but he isn't a cat. He's like me. Just a male version and a bit less smart," Becca half-defended her boyfriend.

"Becca, he curls up in your lap. What does that say to you?" Grace deadpanned.

"That he likes to cuddle?" Becca suggested in a small innocent voice.

"And what about the leg rubbing?" Grace said, disappointed when she found the caramel sauce gone.

"Okay he does not do that," Becca said, clearing away the dishes. "If he rubs my leg it's with his hand."

"Nuh-uh. I saw him under the table," Grace replied. "It was very gato," she said, pleased at her use of Spanish.

"What are you talking about? He's never rubbed my leg," Becca said, getting a confused and somewhat angry look on her face as Grace continued.

"Yes he did. He was getting his scent on you. You're his possession now," Grace said, watching Becca become agitated and getting a very Jace-like smirk on her face.

"I am telling you it wasn't my leg. I swear," Becca insisted, now very angry.

"What then? Your butt? He's a cat and that's what cats do," Grace said, as though she was an authority on this subject.

Becca finally had enough. "IT WASN'T ME! I SWEAR!" Becca screamed. She grabbed her cellphone and furiously punched a number on her speed dial and put the phone to her ear, tapping her foot.

"Oh, well then it must have been the girl he was talking to," Grace said, examining her fingernails and sort of feeling a bit sorry for Ben.

"I'm gonna kill him," Becca muttered waiting to leave a message in his voicemail. When it beeped she screamed, "BENJAMIN STONE WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" She hung up the phone. "He didn't answer."

Grace took the phone and redialed. "Allow me," Grace said, then proceeded to say, "Here kitty kitty kitty! Benny! I've got some catnip for you!"

"Catnip…really?" Becca deadpanned.

Grace gave her an innocent look. "Well you guys must do something to relax. Jace and I drink wine."

"Yeah, Grace. Where does most of that wine come from? Hmmm….let me see….Oh yeah. MY APARTMENT!" Becca said. "Catnip is for cats; Ben and I are not cats," she added to reinforce her argument.

"That's your story," Grace said, just as Jace and Ben walked in. They were dirty and beat up from their encounter with the demon but both were healing quickly. Grace bounded over to the two of them throwing her arms around Jace.

"Trufflekins! How did it go?" Grace asked him enthusiastically. Jace was about to reply when Becca stormed over to them, glaring at Ben.

"Yes, tell us how it went," she said, her voice cold and harsh. She was still glaring at Ben, who was getting uncomfortable under her stare.

"Run if you can, dude. I know you just lost one of your lives and all, but try," Jace advised Ben.

"If you run, you will lose another life," Becca said, tartly, causing Ben to gulp visibly. "Tell me, Ben. Why the hell were you rubbing on some girl's leg? THAT WASN'T ME," She stressed the last three words.

Confusion flashed across Ben's face. "What are you talking about? I've only ever done that to you," Ben said, looking sincere.

"I knew it!" Grace exclaimed.

"Still so freaking odd to hear you say that," Jace added, shaking his head.

"YOU'VE NEVER DONE THAT TO ME!" Becca practically shouted in Ben's face.

"Wait….it wasn't you?" Ben asked, his face paling.

"NO!" Becca shouted. "That's what I've been telling all of you."

"Shit," Ben said, realization showing on his face. "No wonder Millie's been after me for so long."

"Millie? Millie Turner? You rubbed HER LEG?" Becca said, becoming angrier, if it was even possible. Panic showed in Ben's eyes.

"I-I-it wasn't on purpose! I thought it was you, I swear! I can't stand her. She's whiney and annoying," Ben spluttered.

"Dude, you don't know your own girlfriends legs? Really?" Jace asked. On a sudden thought he smelled Ben's and then Grace's legs.

"What the hell?" Grace said, as her boyfriend sniffed her.

"Just making sure," Jace informed them sounding like an officer telling a crowd that it was all clear.

Becca fumed.

Ben sighed. "Thanks, Jace. Thanks a lot," he said.

"You scented my best friend?" Becca said in a barely restrained voice.

"No! Never!" Ben exclaimed.

"He speaks the truth," Jace confirmed to Becca who calmed down.

"Well…you are still sleeping on the couch tonight," Becca informed Ben who was looking at her naturally confused.

"But we have separate apartments," he said while Jace and Grace looked on.

Becca glared at him.

"Okay couch it is."

"Jace, are you seriously that anal? You couldn't trust that I've never let Ben rub my legs before?" Grace asked, once everything had been settled down for a minute.

He shrugged. "I was making sure he didn't accidentally scent you. If he had then he would have to figure out how to un-scent you because you are mine," Jace said, wrapping his arm around her.

Grace smiled. "Aw, that's sweet—in an odd animal-like way," she said, leaning into him.

He grinned. "I have my moments. Anyway, you're legs are the legs that are off limits to everybody. They're silky, and all mine," he informed her.

She raised an eyebrow. "All yours? They're my legs," she said.

Becca pouted, feeling insulted. "Hey! My legs are silky too!"

"Yes, quite," Ben agreed and she shot him a look.

"Stop sucking up. You still have to sleep on the couch," she said.

Ben rolled his eyes. He was agreeing with her because it was true, not because he was sucking up, though he made sure not to say anything more.

Jace grimaced at Becca. "I don't know if yours are or not and I don't plan on finding out," he informed her shuddering.

Becca made a face at him.

"I use a special razor and shaving cream," Grace said to Becca, who was drinking a glass of water.

Jace thought Grace was talking to him. "I know I've seen you use it before," he said, nonchalantly.

Becca choked on her water.

"Dude." Ben grinned and fist bumped Jace.

"Uh, what's going on here? I do not understand this boy-language," Grace said, giving Ben and Jace a confused look.

"Nothing, Babe. Don't worry about it," Jace said.

"Oh, please. you know that if you don't tell me I'll find out later on, so you might as well spare yourself the 'I knew it!' from me while you can," Grace cajoled, trying to get him to tell her, but it was Becca who responded.

"Grace where are you usually when you shave your legs?" Becca asked. Her friend had always been a bit naïve.

"The shower… Oh," Grace said, blushing.

"They're boys. What do you expect?" Becca said, shooting a sympathetic look at her embarrassed friend.

"What? It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I've pretty much already seen you anyway," Jace said.

"WHAT!" Grace shouted, making Ben and Becca wince.

"Well, your dresses leave much for the imagination," Jace said, grinning at Ben.

"Oh, no. I'm not touching that one," Ben told him, raising his hands. "If I do, I'll end up sleeping on the floor—at my own apartment."

Becca smiled. "Good boy," she said.

"Great. Well I'm glad that now you know it was all fiction in your mind," Grace snapped, looking very unhappy.

"Fiction, eh?" Jace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You heard me," Grace said, looking upset.

"Well, that's a bit of a degrading comment toward yourself, don't you think?" Jace asked her, making her feel worse.

"You were supposed to make her feel better but you hurt her feelings," Becca said, scooting closer to Ben.

"What? No, I'm saying that it wasn't fiction in my mind as she claims it to be," Jace said, trying to smooth things over with Grace.

"Yes it was. I'm sure I was a big letdown to your fantasized image," she pouted.

Becca and Ben had a small quiet conversation as Jace and Grace finished up theirs.

"Did you see how good I did?" Becca asked Ben.

"Yes, you didn't call him a moron or anything," Ben said, putting his arm around her.

She leaned into him. "I know! It was really hard, too. I never knew how difficult it would be to not insult someone," she said.

Jace caught the last bit of what Becca had said, knowing that it was referring to him. "Witch," he said with a fake cough. "And just for the record, I am not a bad boyfriend."

"I beg to differ," a voice said from Becca's door.


	6. Philip Scores

The four all turn to see Philip standing off to the edge of their circle, watching them bicker.

Becca groans. "Great, just what we need."

Jace instantly tenses.

"How long have you been there?" Grace asks him.

Philip shrugs. "Long enough to know that my assumption of your boyfriend is correct. He is a pompous egotistical jackass."

"Hey! I'm not pissed off at Jace today so you better watch yourself, buddy. That's my frenemy you're insulting!" Becca warns. "Even though he called me a witch."

"It's better than what I was going to call you, frenemy," Jace retorts mockingly.

"Which is why I forgave you for it because I knew it could've been worse," was Becca's response. "So there!" she adds to Philip.

Philip rolls his eyes again, apparently getting good at that teenage gesture, and jumps down off of a tree he was sitting in, eating an apple, and watching them with his sapphire blue gaze. "How have you been, Dove?" he asks Grace.

She awkwardly looks toward Jace before answering, "Um, pretty good."

Jace is visibly trying to contain his rage while Ben and Becca glare at Philip.

Ben whispers to Becca, "I am about to go feline on his ass."

"I'm not stopping you," Becca replied.

At Grace's response, Philip smiles a white-toothed masculine smile that would make any female melt. "Good to hear," he says, and then his smile fades as his gave moves to Jace. "And how about you, Shadowhunter?"

"I was better before you got here," he says hotly.

Philip shrugs indifferently and strolls over to Ben. "So I hear you are a feline, yes? How fascinating."

"Yes. Would you like to see?" Ben says meaningfully.

"How gracious of you, but I think I will pass," Philip says.

"Are you sure? I would absolutely love to show you," Ben tells him.

Becca and Jace are trying not to laugh from Ben's persistency.

"I'm sure you would," Philip says blandly. "But no thank you."

"Once in a lifetime opportunity," Ben says, then under his breath, "A very short lifetime."

Philip laughs. "I'm sure it just appears short due to your extra eight." He abruptly turns towards Grace. "Are you ready to go?"

"Wait," Ben says, clearly not caring where Philip wanted Grace to go. "How did you know I only had nine to begin with? Or that I lost one?"

"Go where?" Jace asks stiffly.

Philip ignores them both, searching Grace's face.

Jace looks at Grace, hurt. Ben is just eyeing Philip suspiciously.

"Well," Grace finally says. "Philip has invited me to one of his piano concerts before he leaves."

"I am most anxious to hear you opinion of the piece, Dove."

Jace's eyes narrow at Philip, then look to Grace. "And you're going?" he asks her.

Ben and Becca look at Grace incredulously.

She shrugs. "Sure, why not? I kind of trust him. And I would love to hear him play. He has good hands...for the piano."

"Is this a free concert?" Jace asks Philip.

Philip gives him a sour look. "Invitation only," was his only response.

Jace was torn between trying to talk Grace out of going without making her mad at him or just letting her go. Finally he sighs, defeated. "What time should I pick you up?"

Grace looks to Philip.

"Eight will be fine. We should, I mean, I should be done by then."

Jace's eyes narrow to slits after hearing Philip's flub-up. "What do you mean, 'we should be done by then'?"

Ben's eyes flash green and he is ready to help Jace if needed.

Philip leans against a trunk leisurely. "Slip of the tongue. Not to fret. And if eight is too late, I'm very flexible," he says, looking at Grace but speaking to Jace.

Jace just stood there as a flash went by him. Ben had Philip's face pinned to the tree's trunk in a matter of seconds. "Looks like you get to see the feline side of me after all," he snarled.

"Ah, you really must learn to control your impulses," Philip responded casually.

"I have been ever since you got here and started hitting on my best friend's girl."

"Oh for the love of God. Stop fighting!" Grace yelled.

Jace blinked. "Best friend?" he asked him.

"Oh sorry, I meant best guy friend. Becca is my best friend," he adds.

Jace blinks again. "Best guy friend?"

All this time Philip struggles to get away without succeeding.

"I've never had a male friend before," Jace says. "Unless you count Alec."

"Well you do now," Ben responds.

Becca stalks over to Philip and pokes him in the eye.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Philip yells.

"Language!" Ben, Becca, and Jace shout.

Philip squeezes out an apology, "Oh, yes. Pardon me."

Becca pokes him in the other eye.

"Must you continue with your brutishness?" Philip asks her angrily.

"That was just because I don't like you."

Philip grimaces. "The feeling is mutual."

Ben presses him against the tree harder for what he had said to Becca. "Excuse me?"

Grace slaps Jace's arm. "Get him to stop!"

"Why?" Jaces asks. "I'm getting what I want and he's scoring brownie points with his girlfriend for defending her and I'm not even messing up my perfect nails," he says, admiring them.

"Jace! You jerk! You're just going to allow Ben to hurt him for no reason? God, how many times do I have to say this? I am not cheating on you," she tells him.

"You might not be but it's not going to be long before he wears you down. Did you not hear what he said to me while looking directly at you?" he asks her, clearly hurt and unhappy to have to bring it up.

Grace crosses her arms. "Oh, this should be good. What did he say Jace that is so horrible while we were all here listening to him?"

"He said, 'I'm very flexible'. Please tell me you didn't miss that."

"I heard him, and I know he wasn't looking at you. Did it ever register that maybe that's because he hates you?" she argues. "Yes, Jace. People can dislike you. What a shocker."

"Grace, he wasn't looking at a blade of grass when he said it. He was looking at YOU. You are so naive. Ben and Becca both caught it." Then Jace paused. "Most people love me for your information."

"Naive? Really? Wow. You know what? I think I'm done dealing with this," she says.

"Grace, that was one of the most obvious innuendoes I have EVER heard!" Jace yells at her. "How could you not have seen it?"

Becca says to Grace, "He speaks the truth."

Grace feels tears sting her eyes and pushes Jace, wishing she had it in her to hit him.

"You are such an ass! I can't believe that all I ever do is love you so much every single day that I can't wait to see you again. Sometimes I feel like I can't even breathe without you, did you know that? Of course not. But you want to know the worst part? I heard you say Clary's name in your dreams one night. I'm sick of waiting for you Jace. And I think that you're so used to getting what you want that it jsut kills you to watch someone like me other than you. Because you know that you never will, and you're just staying with me because you always get what you want. Well you know what? I'm getting what I want now. And that's Philip."

Becca gasps. "Grace, don't!"

Ben's jaw drops. "Grace, that's really not a good idea."

"If it's what she wants, Ben let him go," Jace says quietly.

Ben gives Jace a look as if he was crazy.

Grace's heart constricts as how much she must have hurt Jace, and a hot angry tear runs down her cheek.

"Let him go," Jace says louder, almost shouting. His voice was kept on the borderline of rage. "If you want to be happy, go be happy," he tells Grace, nodding at Philip. Then he turns and walks away.

Becca, stunned asks Grace, "What are you doing? He's everything to you."

Grace watches him leave, turning away from her—something Grace never thought she could ever bear to watch, but yet she was. He looked broken. In her head a saying played around, "to love is to destroy". She choked on a sob, picturing her magnificent Jace with his angel wings torn and destroyed, knowing that it was her who had done the damage.

Ben roughly let go of Philip, giving him an angry stare. Then he threw Becca on him piggy back style and took off after Jace, leaving Grace officially alone with Philip.


	7. The Secret Plot

Grace turned to Philip after drying her eyes and took his hand saying, "I'm ready."

Philip looked awestruck. He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you okay?" he questioned.

"Yeah. Maybe. Are you okay?" she returned the question.

"Yes, the kitty cat left some bruises, but the bitch skewed my eyesight," Philip said, rubbing his eyes.

Grace gave him a sideways look. "She's still my best friend. I'm sorry about your eyes, though. She can be a bit overbearing at times, but you get used to it." She shrugged.

Philip seemed to have not heard her. "Anyhow, our little plan worked out perfectly," he said, smiling slyly.

Grace thought if she had been Ben or Becca her ears would have pricked. She blinked at him. "What?"

"Our unspoken plan," he responded. Grace looked confused.

"Okay. Can it be spoken? Because I honestly have no idea what you're—wait. You planned this?" Grace asked incredulously.

"Yes, Dove," Philip said. "What did you think? That I would let you stay with that…that pompous stuck up jackass? Ha. I can give you what you want. He refused."

"What I want is a nice boyfriend who isn't conceited," Grace interjected.

Philip continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I thought you were in on it with all the little flirtations you kept giving me," he finished.

"Flirtations? Philip, I do like you, but Jace was at the moment my boyfriend. I wasn't flirting, I was being nice," Grace replied, believing what she said to be true.

Philip dismissed her words with a wave of the hand. "Whatever. We're together now and you can come back with me and be my wife. I hope you are a good cook," he said, beginning to lead her away.

"I cook, but what? You're wife? Philip, here in the twenty first century we don't get married young. We have fun being together in our youth without having to worry about everything else. Isn't that what you want?" Grace asked beginning to feel uneasy about it all. Philip laughed.

"But, Dove, you are coming back with me—to my time. That was the whole plan. I never lost my watch. I just waited until I could get you to come back with me."

Ben had been listening to the happy couple as he ran with Becca to catch up to Jace. He scowled as he heard of Philip's plan. Once they caught up to Jace, Ben set Becca down.

"That son of a bitch—he planned everything just like we suspected," Ben fumed.

Jace's eyes flashed with anger. "I knew it! What are they saying?" Jace demanded. Ben looked at him.

"He's taking her back to his time."

….

"So you really were trying to make Jace and I fight?" Grace asked, piecing everything together.

"Of course, don't be so naïve, Dove. Let's go. It's time for the recital," Philip said, pulling her along.

She walked a few steps before stopping. "So you were really flirting with me? And the box…Jace wasn't hallucinating?" she asked.

Philip rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Yes, I was, and no he wasn't but who cares about him? We have each other now. Let's go," Philip urged more forcefully.

"So, my butt….? Oh my God. No wonder he was so mad!" Grace thought aloud.

Philip sighs. "Yes, Dove. Let's go," He said again, getting agitated.

"Why? That's all I want to know. You need a housewife?" she asked, unmoving.

"Of course not!" his voice drips with fake hurt. "I love you, Dove. I would never to that." Philip was trying everything he could to secure Grace. He knew her feelings were teetering on an edge.

Grace then thought of Jace and how he said Clary's name. A wave of jealousy rolled over her, and she suddenly takes Philip and pulls him close. "Listen to me. You have to promise that you love me. You did all this, so tell the truth now," she demanded.

….

"Ben, what the hell are we still doing here? We have to go get her!" Becca says about to take off, but Jace stops her.

"Wait. Did she say she didn't want to go?" Jace asked.

Ben shook his head in the negative.

"If and only if she says she doesn't want to go, do we go get her," Jace said.

Becca stares at him like he had grown a second head. "But, Jace, she's my best friend! I don't want her to leave!"

Jace turned to her. "I learned a new saying, Becca. If you love something let it go. If it's meant to be, it will come back. Trust me Becca," he said.

Becca studies him for a second as a tear falls down her cheek but she nods. Jace briefly and awkwardly gave her a hug as Ben tuned into the unfolding drama between Philip and Grace once again.

….

"Sure I love you, Dove. Come on," Philip says, pulling on her hand.

Graces face scrunched up. "Sure? That wasn't very heartfelt," she commented. Philip was completely frustrated by now.

"It doesn't have to be. You are coming whether you want to or not—whether I love you or not; whether you love me or not. Now, come on," He yelled at her, making her eyes widen.

"What the hell Philip?" she asked alarmed, trying to process a plan of escape.

….

Ben's jaw dropped. "He's forcing her to go."

Becca and Jace stared at him.

"Then why the hell are we still here!" they both screamed at Ben, who jumped.

"You TOLD me NOT to go UNLESS she said she didn't want to go," Ben said.

Jace sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "IF IT'S AGAINST HER WILL THEN WE CAN GO GET HER!" Jace yelled.

"Get your asses going!" Becca screamed at the two who immediately went into action, leaving her behind. "Hey! Wait!"

….

"And what did you mean by you can give me what I want? It sounded conniving," Grace stated.

"Well you want…you know what, right?" Philip asked, blushing furiously.

Grace rolled her eyes. "So? You're obviously an ass. You don't get any when you're an ass," she said, crossing her arms while taking in every detail of her surroundings. With an idea, she suddenly stops and falls to the ground pretending that she lost her balance and quickly grabbed broken glass from a bottle she had spotted on the ground.

Philip rolled his eyes. "What have you done now?" He reaches down to drag her up. She was briefly appalled that he expected her to walk without seeing if she was hurt, but then jabbed the glass into his arm and jerked it out just as quickly.

"OW! You little…." he trailed off as Ben barreled into him followed quickly by Jace who stopped to check on Grace.

Philip was no match for Ben who quickly had his claws at Philips throat stopping him from moving.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," Ben growled.

Becca then arrived at the action, puffing, bringing up the rear.

"Philip! I'm gonna kill you!" she huffed with multiple deep gasps, barely managing to spit her threat out. She collapsed against a wall. "In a minute…"

Philip laughed. "Oh, please. This is all very entertaining, but honestly. You lost, little Shadowhunter. She loves me and we're getting married, and she's coming back with me to be my little housewife. Oh, don't worry, it's not all bad. She gets what she wants, too." Philip smiled evilly at Jace.

"I have got to get in better shape," Becca said, still trying to catch her breath. She was collectively ignored.

Grace looked to Becca and mouthed, "I did that to his arm, wicked huh?"

Becca smiled and gave her a thumb up.

"Grace, is it true?" Jace asked. Grace scowls at Philip and shoves Jace away from her. Philip's face falls and pales slightly as Jace just looks hurt.

"Are you alright, Love?" Ben asked, looking to Becca, and still holding Philip firmly.

"Oh, I'm just peachy," she responded, finally catching her breath.

"You should start training with me," Ben told her.

"And me," Jace added, looking at her.

She rolls her eyes up to the sky. "Oh, Lord, help me," she said, and then wailed, "I don't want to DIE!" At that Ben and Jace both smirked.

Grace, ignoring the small exchange, marched over to where Ben had Philip pinned.

"What makes you think that I shouldn't kill you right here right now?" Grace growled at Philip. He stared back at her defiantly.

"Because you will never get what you want from him and I'm everything—rich, handsome..."

"A dick," Becca added.

"Is he for real?" Grace asked Ben. Ben just shrugged.

"Conceited-wise he seems worse than Jace. No offense, buddy," Ben added.

"I find that I am quite offended by that," Philip said in response to his statement.

"I was talking to Jace, idiot," Ben said, giving Philip a disgusted look.

"None taken," Jace said.

"And who says we care what you think Philip?" Grace asked, a wry grin on her face.

Becca's input is a slightly winded cheer for Grace's comment.

"That's my girl," Jace said causing Grace's head to whip around and her eyes narrowed when they came to rest on him. "I am NOT your girl," she spat.

Jace raises his hands in apology but looks hurt and for a brief moment, Grace felt guilty about it, but the feeling is quickly gone when she once again remembers Jace saying Clary's name in his sleep.

"Philip, you're a ….What was the word you used, Becca?" Grace looked in her direction.

Becca shrugged. "Dick, jackass, son of a bitch…take your pick," she offered.

"Right. So, jackass, here's what we're going do. How about we relive the moment when you were staring at my butt right in front of my ex, and I instead turn around and drop the box over your head. Then I let Jace kill you when he should have. That sound good to you?" she asked.

Becca agrees wholeheartedly while Jace and Ben both nod eagerly.

"Great." Grace smiles cynically. "Since we have the majority, I guess you die Philip, baby," she said, mockingly.

"Oops! Looks like you're in the same boat as Jace now. Just for a different reason. And don't you EVER call me your little house wife again," Grace said, kicking him in the groin.

Becca walked over and kicked him in the side, earning a high five from Grace. "I have no reason other than hating you," Becca said to Philip.

"The feeling is mutual," Philip responded.

Jace pulled out his stele and hands it to Grace. "Do what you want," he said to her.

Grace looks into his eyes, and takes the stele from him. "Jace, are you sure?"

"You deserve this kill more than me."

"He passed up a chance to kill something so you could, Grace! That's got to be like the most romantic thing he's ever done!" Becca pointed out, hoping to make Grace see what she was missing without him.

"I know." Grace got a concerned look on her face. "Jace? Are you sick?" she asked, feeling his forehead, and pulled away when she realized what she had done.

Jace rolled his eyes at her concern. "No." He smiled ruefully at Grace, making her blush.

"I've missed making you do that," he said.

"Oh, shut up." But Grace smiled anyway, hiding it behind her hair.

Becca pulled out a notebook and started writing furiously.

Ben asked, "What are you doing, darling?" His brow furrowed.

"This would make a great story. I have to write it all down so I don't forget," Becca said, then looked at their faces. "What? You all know I want to be a writer," she said indignantly, earning a laugh from Ben.

Becca goes back to her writing as everything recommences.

Grace looks over her shoulder at Philip, then down at Jace's stele, and walks forward with a purposeful stride. "So…any last words?"

"Please don't," Philip begged.

Becca stopped writing and glared at him. Jace and Ben both snorted.

Grace pretended to consider his plea. "Nope. How about go to hell?"

"Fine. Go to hell," Philip spat at her.

"That's more like it! Although I've already been there for the past twenty minutes with you, so looks like you don't get your last wish! But how fulfilling to know that I really could care less," Grace said.

"Just get to it already!" Becca said, frustrated, her pencil poised to write more.

Grace makes a show of raising the seraph blade over her head, but stops short centimeters from Philip's cold heart. She lowers the blade and shoves it in her back pocket.

Philip, thinking he is dead, opens his eyes and says, "Damn it. Why do you all have to be here? The underworld isn't big enough for all of us! I'll go insane if I have to hear all of you blather one more second!"

Grace rolls her eyes. "You're not dead yet you idiot."

"Oh."

Jace stares at Grace, confused.

Grace taps Ben's shoulder. "Go ahead. You can do it. I don't want to be responsible for doing this to someone, even though he is a horrible and pathetic excuse for a man."

Ben just shrugs. He slashes Philip's throat feeling no remorse because he knew that he was protecting someone he cared about. Be it his best friend's girl or someone Philip would've met later to make his victim.

As he and Jace got ready to pick up Philip's body and dispose of it, it suddenly vanished.

Everyone stared in shock at the ground where the body had been.

"Did it just..." Becca started.

"Yeah. I mean, I think so," Jace said quietly.

"He was from the past. He would have been dust by now," Grace said smartly.

"Huh. No clean up," Ben said, putting his arm around his girlfriend.

"So...who wants pizza?" Jace asked glancing around their group. He acted as if the ordeal they had just been through was nonchalant.

"I would love some water," Becca told him.

"Food sounds great!" Ben agreed. "I am so hungry."

"You said it, bro."

"Nothing works up an appetite more than kicking ass," Grace agreed.

"I'm just thirsty and my legs feel like rubber. Can we get there so I can sit down before I collapse?" Becca asked.

Ben tightens his grip on her, helping her stay up, wondering if she was actually serious. "Love, are you all right? Can you walk to the pizza parlor?"

"I think so. I'm not sure," she replied. "But I can try."

He gives her an encouraging smile. "That's my darling. I'm here every step of the way if you need me."

She flashed a smile at him. "I guess you can sleep on the pull out bed instead of the couch."

They head toward the pizza parlor after Ben rolled his eyes.


	8. Pizza and Camel Lips

Jace doesn't know what to say to her. He cocks his head to the side. "So..."

Grace smiles at his attempt at a conversation. "So..." she mimics.

Jace rubs the back of his neck. "You heard me say Clary's name in a dream the other night, huh?"

Grace's smile evaporates and she nods sadly, kicking a stone from her path as if it was bump in life that could slow her down. "Yeah, I did."

"Well it's not what it sounded like," he told her.

Grace shrugs. "It's okay if you still love her. I get it," she says numbly.

"But—"

Grace cuts him off. "Seriously, I'm fine with it. I just want you to be happy, because I love you that much. I know I said that I'm not yours, but truthfully I'm completely, entirely, and wholly yours—no matter what."

"Grace…"

"And I get it if you hate me. I was stupid."

Jace stops suddenly. "Grace, I could never hate you." He sighs. "When I said Clary's name in the dream, she was forcing me to get back together with her. But I told her that I was in love with someone else and she and I would never work."

Grace stops dead in my tracks. "Really?"

"Really," he says sincerely. "I love you, Gracie, and I don't ever want to lose you again."

Grace stood there for a minute thinking about the past few minutes without him and how horrible they were, no matter how much she tried to lie to herself otherwise. She then ran to hug him, practically knocking him over in the process. Grace buried her nose in the scent of him, and felt like she could never possibly let go again. "I missed you."

Jace wraps his arms around her. "I missed you, too, Babe."

Encircled in his arms, Grace had almost forgotten how safe it had felt. She looked up at him, and saw that he was taking the moment in just as much as she was. Just then, Grace reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her stele. She drew a rune of promise on her wrist then reached behind her waist for one of Jace's hands to draw the same rune on.

"There," she said when finished. "I'll never make the mistake of hurting you again."

Jace smiled and linked their hands together, then continued walking to the pizza parlor.

Becca looked back and saw them together again. She grinned, and elbowed Ben. "Pay up."

Ben looked back at them, too. He sighed and gave her a twenty. "Here you go."

She snatches it from him. "Ha! I told you they would be back together tonight."

Ben nods. "Yes you did, Love."

She clears her throat. "Say it."

Ben looks at her. "You were right. I was wrong."

"Ha!"

They waited at the door to the pizza parlor for Grace and Jace who were lagging behind to catch up.

When Grace and Jace reach Ben and Becca, they go in, but before Jace can follow them, Grace pulls him back to her again.

Jace laughed lightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and bent down to kiss her.

She twined her fingers through his hair and felt him smile against her lips, relishing his taste of salt and sunshine. "Did I ever tell you that you taste like the beach?" she asked him quietly.

Jace thought for a moment. "No, you didn't. The beach? You know what, that gives me an idea." Without another word, he pulls her into the shop with him and found Ben and Becca seated cozily together at a corner booth. They slide in.

Jace presents his idea once everyone is seated. "So, Grace just gave me a great idea."

"And what's that?" Becca asks.

"We all go to the beach for vacation! We need it."

Ben nods, practically already feeling the sun's rays hit his skin. "Sounds good," he says evenly.

Jace punches his arm. "C'mon man. Where's your enthusiasm?"

Grace whispers in his ear. "Cats don't like water."

To make Jace happy, Ben proceeds to jump up, and mockingly shouts, "Oh yeay!" He claps. "We're going to the beach everyone!" Ben then sits down. "Was that enthusiastic enough for you?" he asks him. "Oh, and Grace. For the last time: I'm not a cat. I just happen to have cat-like abilities. I love the water."

"Yes. I am pleased," Jace says.

"Good," Grace says. "So that means I can splash you without your freaking out?"

"Yes, you can."

Becca suddenly lets out a groan. "Where is the freaking waiter? I am so thirsty!"

Grace waves over a waiter. "Excuse me! Can we have four waters please?"

"LIKE NOW!" Becca shouts.

Jace grins. "Manners," he says, imitating Philip.

"PLEASE!"

Jace smiles and for no reason, pinches her arm.

"Ow!"

"Gosh, Becca. You're getting to be as impatient as Jace," Grace states, nodding at her boyfriend.

"Well you run as far as I did without being in shape and try not to be impatient," Becca snapped.

Grace's response was, "Becca, you need to go to the gym more."

"Grace and I work the abs every Friday and Monday," he says proudly.

Becca snorts. "Yeah. I'll bet you do."

Not catching the innuendo, Ben added, "I work mine every day. Because I jump around on roofs and stuff, you know."

"Apparently I'm going to start training with Beevus and Butthead, here," Becca states.

Grace, instantly registering any insult coming from Becca as one towards her enemy, says, "Hey! Don't refer to Jace in that way!"

Becca blinks. "I wasn't."

Remembering her comment about Becca needing to work out, Grace says, "Well I better not be included in that insult."

"Did you offer to train me, Grace?" Becca asks her.

"Well, no. You never asked, and I never offered. That's what friends are for. Be happy," she answered. "I'm saving you from agony."

"Exactly. Which is why I didn't refer to you in that way," Becca said.

With that only leaving Ben, he gets a scrunched look on his face. "Wait a minute..."

Jace and Grace laugh under their breath.

Ben continues, "If Jace isn't Butthead then...Hey!"

"Well, you suggested it first so therefore you take the worst name. Don't worry, I still like you." Becca pats his cheek.

Jace starts to become unable to control his laughter, so he smirks instead.

"Be nice, Jace," Becca warns.

Suddenly the waiter appears with their order. "Here you go: two large pizzas with everything on them except anchovies and waters all around. Anything else?"

"You got any straws?" Jace asks him.

"Yes, a pitcher of water please,"Becca chimes in her request as well. "I already drank my whole glass of water."

The waiter gives Jace a 'duh' look and throws downa handful of straws. "I'll be right back with that pitcher," he says, bustling away.

Jace picks up one of the straws off the table and tears off the end slightly. He holds the torn end to his mouth, aims at Becca, and blows. The wrapper hits her straight in the middle of the forehead, and Jace mouths, GOAL.

With Jace's mouth in the open position Becca takes this opportunity to shoot her own straw wrapper right into his mouth. She smiles smugly at him. "I win."

Jace spits out the wrapper after gagging to stop it from lodging in his throat. "You suck," he says hoarsely.

"Yes, she does," ben says, unthinking.

Becca blushes. "Ben!"

Grace looks at him. "Yes, I agree. Ben? Any other comments from Boy-Reverie Land?"

Jace smirks.

Ben's eyes are wide. "Wha—Oh. Oops."

Everyone laughs at him as he finally blushes. "That's not what I meant," he defends. "She called me Butthead!"

They ignored him as the waiter came back to their table, obviously in a less pleasant mood. "Here you go, Mermaid." He sets the pitcher down right in front of her with a slosh. "Would you like a swimming pool as well?"

Grace covers her ears. "Oh crap. Looks like you're not getting a tip. She's gunna blow!"

Becca glares at him. "Excuse me for being thirsty. I just ran almost two miles without stopping, so yeah, I'm thirsty. Do you have a problem with that, asshole?" By now she is standing in his face screaming at the top of her lungs.

Ben jumps up and grabs her and pulls her away.

The waiter wipes her spit off his face and backs up a little. "Yeah, I do. I had to take over another asshole's shift, so deal with it." He walks away, giving them all the finger.

Jace and Ben give him the British version by making an American peace sign with their fingers.

"Nice job, Jace. I taught you well," Ben tells him.

They laugh, but Becca is still pissed. She storms back to the kitchen where the waiter had disappeared to in order to pick up the fight where they had left off. "SAME TO YOU JERK-OFF!" Becca yells.

The waiter looks bored. He scoots Becca out of the kitchen and back to her seat. "I'm not the peace type, dudes," he says to everyone at the table. "I don't recycle, I hate hearts, and I don't get Valentine's Day at all. So sue me." He crosses his arms.

Jace looks at Ben. "You said it would work!"

Ben says openly. "But see, this is the funny part. He has no idea that we just flipped him off. Stupid Americans."

"Hey!"

Ben corrects himself, "Not you three. I mean Americans who don't get it."

"Right. Because technically, we're all abnormal." He gives a look to Ben. "Anyway, what'd you say about Valentine's Day?" he asks the waiter.

"I don't get it."

"What don't you get?" Jace asks him.

"There's a lot you don't get," Becca says venomously under her breath to the waiter.

The waiter gives Jace a look as if he were stupid. "Valentine's Day, blonde boy." He rolls his eyes and looks at them. "Is he always like this?"

"No," said Grace.

"Yes," said Becca.

Ben sighs. "Here we go again."

"I think he meant, what don't you get about it?" Becca corrects. "He just isn't always clear about things."

"It's about time," Jace says indignantly. "You owe me that back up."

She rolls her eyes. "Don't push it. We're still in the friend process."

The waiter continues, "It's a stupid holiday made up for people who are supposedly in love," he says in mock joy. "Please, we all know the girls are just in it for the flowers and the dinner. But when it's time for football season, oh hell no. You don't see them sit there and watch it with us, do you?"

"Actually, my girlfriend watches it with me. She's not as into it but she watches it," Ben says.

Jace blinks. "What's football?"

"Grace would know," Becca says slyly, shifting her gaze between them.

Grace mouths for her to shut up.

So, of course, Becca continues, "But she doesn't know about the sport..."

"I'm confused," Jace says holding his head.

Becca examines her nails much like he would and enjoys his bewilderment.

Thw waiter shrugs. "I'm with blonde boy."

Ben also looks confused for a minute then starts laughing hysterically causing Grace to blush.

Becca just stares at him with a blank expression. "Ben, I wouldn't be laughing. It has to do with you."

"'Kay, I have no clue what you all are talking about so I'm going to go play Packman," Jace says, getting up to leave. He heads over to the machine.

"Wait, what does it have to with me?" Ben asks.

Now Becca is confused at the flip. "Yeah, me too," she says, getting suspicious.

Grace flips her hand. "Oh, you'll find out on vacation, Ben. Becca needs to work on her tackle and form anyway."

Becca, not happy one bit at Grace's making fun of her abstinence, accuses, "And you don't?"

Grace rolls her eyes with no comeback.

Becca relaxes and finishes off the pitcher of water. "Another pitcher please!" she shouts to the waiter standing less than three feet away, waving her glass.

He snaps. "Shut your camel lipped mouth. I am NOT getting you another pitcher of damn water! I am too tired and too miserable. Anyway, what are you all talking about? Football is not a girl's sport. It requires agility and speed, not to mention strength."

Becca's mouth drops open into an "O" shape. Her eyes start to water. She looks at Ben. "I have a camel lipped mouth?" she asks squeakily.

"No you do not. I happen to like your mouth a lot," Ben tells her. He stands up and glares at the waiter. By now Becca is sniffling.

Ben shoves a finger in his face. "Apologize. NOW!"

"No," the waiter says, turning his nose up. "She's demanding."

"It's your freaking job to wait on people!" Grace yells at him.

Ben's eyes flash as Jace, hearing the commotion, walks over seeing that Becca was crying and Ben was glaring at the waiter looking very snobby.

"What's going on?" Jace asks anyone who will answer.

"The waiter said I have a camel lip and that I'm demanding!" Becca cried, expecting sympathy.

Instead, Jace laughs hysterically then sees the serious look on everyone's face and abruptly stops. He coughs uncomfortably. "What would you like me to do with him, then?"

"I may just take care of him myself, "Ben huffs. "Look, I'll give you one more chance to apologize to my girlfriend," he says to the waiter, "or you'll have to deal with me and quite possibly him," he says, pointing to Jace. Ben flashes his claws at the waiter.

That's all it took. "OH MY GOD! You're one of those mutants just like on that movie! What's it called? Oh! X-MEN."

Ben just looks at him, waiting.

Jace again looks confused. "What is...? Oh, never mind."

"I'll tell you later," Ben tells him.

Becca is still sniffling.

Not happy that things were stalling, Jace walks over to the waiter and kicks him in the shin. "Apologize, mundane."

"Ow!" he yells, falling to the floor and clutching his leg. He looks at Jace's shoes eye-level with his face. "What kind of Converse are those anyway?" He looks from Jace to Ben. "Are you both her boyfriend or something?"

Jace chooses to answer his first question. "Don't tell my girlfriend, but I put a steel toe in them," he whispers. Then he stands and answers his second question, normally. "Oh, God no. Gross! We hate each other. Sort of."

"We're…" Jace looks to Becca. "What did you call us, Becca?"

"Frenemies," she offers.

Jace fixes the waiter with a steely glare again. "Yeah. Frenemies."

Grace smiles at Jace, and tells the waiter on the ground, "You have no idea how big of a step that is for them."

The waiter just looks at her. "You all are idiots."

"That's it," Ben and Jace say at the same time. They advance on the waiter who proceeds to scream shrilly and run out of the restaurant.

"Wow. Do I look that good running away?" Grace asks. "He looks a little gay."

Jace shakes his head. "No, Babe. Sorry, but you don't. He's got the gay thing down."

Grace narrows her eyes at the fleeing waiter through the open door. "I bet he can't do it in heels."

"Wuss," Ben name-calls the waiter, and then sits down to comfort Becca.

Grace looks at her with a face of pity. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

Jace looks bored. "Well, how 'bout we call it a day and pack for tomorrow?"

"Jace!" Grace nods in Becca's direction with a look on her face.

"Oh right. Uh, are you okay?" jace asks, even though he thought it was pointless to since Grace already had.

"Yes, I am."

He awkwardly pats Becca on the shoulder. "Okay, then." He stops. "I didn't see a point in asking again because you have clearly stopped crying."

"It's still a nice thing to do," Grace told him.

Jace shrugs. "Yeah, well. I'm still earning my wings." He grinned a delinquent smile at her.

"Well that must have earned a couple of feathers." Becca smiles at him.

"Good," Jace says. "They better be black to match the rest of my clothes or else I'm going to be majorly pissed at Raziel."

Becca rolls her eyes.

With that said, he grabs Grace's hand and they walk out of the shop, leaving no tip and not paying.

Ben and Becca just shrug and leave as well.


	9. Butt Pinching in Flight

"Okay, so I'm still not sure about this flying bird thing," Jace said the next day. He and the others were at the airport, getting ready to board a plane that would take them to their vacation destination. Everyone ignored his uncertainty while his girlfriend, Grace held a clipboard in her hand, looking official.

"Okay, so I've got a list here of all the items we need." She points a lacquered nail to the board and reads off the first item. "Toothpaste?" she asks.

"Check," Becca answers.

"Is anyone listening to me?" Jace yells over the raucous commotion of the airport.

"Flip flops?" Grace asks, again ignoring Jace.

"Check."

Suddenly, as if forgetting something, Grace looks around and over heads trying to spot Ben and Jace in the crowd. "Boyfriends?" she asks hesitantly, hoping they hadn't gotten lost.

"Check for one and check for two," Becca said. She looked at Jace who was indeed freaking out and strangling Ben, tring to gain some assurance that he wouldn't die on the trip.

Grace reaches into her purse to pull out a paper bag. She walks over to him and shoves it at his chest. "Here."

"What is this for?" he asks her.

Grace just keeps her eyes glued to her clipboard, scanning items, as she replies easily, "For you to puke in."

Becca snorts then controls herself.

Jace gives her a disgusted look. "I shall not be puking," he says, though he looks very green.

When Jace let go of Ben to take the bag, Ben doubled over panting. He raised a finger. "I…can't…breathe."

Jace looks down at the paper bag in his hand. "Here!" He shoves it in Ben's mouth. "This is supposed to help according to Grace's Air Travel Safety List."

Ben's eyes go wide and he starts gagging.

Grace gaped at him. "You actually read it?"

He looked at her. "I don't want to die. Of course I read it."

"Correction! You don't want to die again," Becca said.

Ben is still gagging.

"Don't bring that up to him," Grace warns Becca. "He's sensitive to it."

She raises her hands. "Sorry! I really didn't know!"

Ben is still gagging but is now on the floor digging at his mouth with his fingers to dislodge the paper bag.

Jace looks down t Ben. "Seriously, Dude, calm—" his eyes go wide when he sees that Ben is actually choking "—oh crap!"

"Stand back people I know CPR!" Grace yells, her arms out at her sides signaling to give Ben air.

Jace stops to look at her, impressed. "Really?"

She grins foolishly and lowers her arms. "No, I just always wanted to say that."

Ben finally gets the bag out of his mouth.

"'Hey, Ben your gagging! Are you okay?' 'Yeah I'm fine. I just almost choked to death, but please go on with your conversation.'"

Jace pats his back appreciatively, albeit uncaringly. "Thanks, man."

"Jace, remember those two feathers you got?" Beca asks.

"Yeah?"

She frowns at him. "They're revoked now."

Grace nods in agreement with her.

Ben glares at Jace. "YOU almost strangled me then you all ignored me while I was over here gagging!"

Becca hugs him. "I'm sorry sweetie." She tried to make him forgive her by using her best apologetic voice.

"Oh, by the way, you really helped me out there," Jace said to Ben. "I got out all my stress from strangling you. You should sit with me on the flight over so we can talk about football. Then if I get freaked out again, I'll be okay."

Ben sucks in air. "There IS NO WAY AM I SITTING WITH YOU!"

"Why not?" Jace asks quietly.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Ben is red in the face, from nearly choking and from anger.

Jace shakes his head. "The list specifically states we need safety partners. We'll be helping each other out."

"You won't exactly die for long, you know," Grace assures Ben, reminding him of his feline powers.

"Well...that's true."

"But I guarantee Jace will use them all up by the time we land."

"Hey!" Jace protests.

"But dying sucks," Ben says contritely. "I'm not sitting with him. I want to sit with Becca so we can cuddle. I'm tired and want to nap. Almost dying can do that to you. And besides, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to kill you so you can sit with your boyfriend."

Grace shoots him a sideways glance. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Jace scoffs. "What is this? Pick on the hot guy day?"

"No otherwise we'd be picking on Ben," Becca says unthinking, and then slaps a hand over her mouth realizing what she had just started.

Jace's jaw drops.

"Sorry!" Becca is quick to apologize. "Old habits die hard!"

Jace crosses his arms. "You are SO un frenemied."

"No!"

Without another word he grabs his pillow with the GAC logo printed on it, grabs Grace hand, and walks over to the plane.

Grace looks over her shoulder at Becca helplessly and sympathetically.

Becca shouts over the mass of people, "I didn't mean it! I promise! It just slipped out!"

Ben rolls his eyes and grabs their luggage, following Jace and Grace with Becca in tow.

Jace glares at Becca. "You know what just slips out? Saying you're forty when you really meant to be creative with the truth and say you're thirty. That, though, is just unacceptable," he harrumphs.

"But it's not true! You are hot!" Becca says, trying to backtrack.

"I don't believe you."

Suddenly an old woman appears out of the crowd as they are standing in line to climb aboard. She coos to herself, " Aw, well isn't that sweet. They're having a lovers quarrel."

Jace and Becca say in unison: "We are NOT together."

Grace waves a hand in front of the elderly woman's face. "Hello? I'm the girlfriend. Hence the reason I'm holding his hand?" She points to Jace.

"Oh, that's nice, dear."

Grace does a face-palm.

"And I'm her boyfriend," Ben says, nodding to Becca.

"Oh. I thought you were the dashing butler," the woman says.

Becca is appalled at her assumption. Just because Jace had a wad of cash in his pants getting ready to pay for their tickets doesn't mean that he is a rich aristocrat. "My boyfriend is not a butler! I mean, he is dashing, but not a butler."

"But he has a British accent!" the woman protests. "You know, when I was younger, I had a hard time paying attention to young men with British accents because they were so...so..." she trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Sexy?" Grace offers.

The old woman frowns at her. "Don't be vulgar, young lady." She paused before saying, "Wash your mouth out with soap."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Well what then?" she asked impatiently.

"Handsome." She smiles at Ben.

Grace tries to contain a laugh and elbows Becca. "Looks like you've got competition."

Jace unhappily takes the luggage from Ben and shoves it to one of the flight attendants.

"Passport sir?" she asks.

Jace looks insulted. "Pass what to the port?"

"You'll have to excuse him. He's kind of touchy right now," Grace explained.

Becca rolls her eyes overhearing Jace's attitude. "Again, you are hot, Jace. You know it. Remember the song?"

"What? I know I'm fly. You apparently don't think so," he said.

"You are fly!" Becca agrees.

While the many distractions were going on, the old lady quickly pinches Ben's butt without anyone seeing.

Ben yelps and everyone stops to look at him.

"Someone pinched my ass," he explains.

The old lady looks around at anything but them.

Jace notices her aversion and smirks. "Oh, that is priceless."

Becca glares at the woman. "Hey lady! Did you pinch my boyfriend's butt?"

She looks shocked. "No! My goodness. The things you children say these days," she waves a hand dismissively.

"You so totally did," Jace says, still grinning. "Admit it; you want a piece of him."

Grace's mouth falls open. "Jace! That's inappropriate!"

Jace sighs and continues to hand the woman at the counter all of their passports—after Grace briefly reminds him what they look like—and filled out any necessary paperwork.

The woman opens each one and hands them back to everyone. Finally she gets to Jace's.

Jace looks at her across the counter and leans in close. "Do you think I'm hot in that picture?"

The lady smiles sheepishly. "Yes, sir; even better in the flesh."

He beams happily at getting yet one more person to agree with him.

Grace frowns and drags him along. "C'mon, Jace. Your ego is getting too inflated, I'm afraid it might suffocate the nice lady."

Jace winks at the woman over his back while Grace is still dragging him along. "Stay fly!" he yells.

Once everyone is inside the plane, Becca sits down with Ben, him insisting on the aisle seat. When Grace and Jace start heading toward them, he jumps up, gives Grace a knowing smile, and they both race to the other seats behind Becca, leaving the only other vacant chair for Jace to sit next to Becca. Once they realized Ben and Grace's plan, they both just stared at them with their mouths open.

Grace smiles at them. "Work out your problems. And Jace? Don't kill her."

Jace sends daggers in Becca's direction. "We'll see..."

Becca gulps and glares at Ben and Grace.

On the flight over, Grace and Ben are go over a map of locations to visit and which bungalows they will all be staying in.

All of a sudden, Jace coughs and stretches out his legs, and then leans his chair back.

With the oddity of quiet stretching out between them, Becca says one more time, "Jace, I really didn't mean it."

He gives her the silent treatment and glares at some dude's bald head in the seat in front of him.

"Jace!" she whines.

Jace coughs again and drinks his bottled water he requested from the flight attendant very slowly, narrowing his eyes at Becca over it.

She sighs. "Please?"

Jace lowers the water, finally, and crunches it in his fist, waking some sleeping passengers by the crackle.

"Jace?"

Suddenly Grace bops Jace over the head from the seat behind him with a rolled up brochure.

"Jace! Be nice," she scolds.

"No," Jace says simply. "She's a bitch."

"Jaaace" Grace says again with a warning tone.

Becca's eyes water. "I was trying to be nice and apologize."

Jace rubs a hand over his face starting with the top of his dirty blonde hair and ending at his chin. "Not the waterworks again," he moans tiredly.

"I thought we were becoming friends!" she sobs. "Friends forgive each other Jace!"

"You are not my friend. You are my girlfriend's friend."

Grace looks at Ben. "Do something before they start at it again."

"What am I supposed to do? Make them kiss?"

Grace looks at him in disgusted shock. "No you idiot! We both don't want them that friendly."

Ben sighs. "I was being sarcastic, Grace. Do you really think I would make my girlfriend kiss another guy?"

Now it's Grace's turn to sigh. "How am I supposed to know? You're always so serious."

Ben crosses his arms. "I am not."

"You are too!" Grace puts her head in her hands. "Oh, great. Here we go now."

Ben decides to further his point. "I was very sarcastic earlier after I choked on the bag. Did you not hear me? Oh wait, no you didn't. You were all too busy ignoring me."

"I do not ignore you," Grace argues.

"Fine Jace!" Becca yells. "You don't want to be friends? Good. You are an ego-testicle, stuck-up jerk-off who only cares about himself. And Ben is hotter than you will ever be." She turns in her seat and stares out the window.

"You do too!" Ben protests to Grace's comment. He then gestures to everyone else. "All of you do."

"Ego TESTICAL?" Jace asks, wanting to bark out with laughter but trying to keep a straight face.

"Yes. Ego TESTICAL!" Becca shouts.

"Ben, I do not ignore you," Grace says. "We just sat here and had a nice conversation. Jace can just be a handful."

Jace turns away from Becca again. "Bitch."

Suddenly Becca feels something pinch her butt. "OW!" she yelps, and then turns to glare at Jace. "Very mature."

"What?" he asks.

Meanwhile Grace and Ben giggle.

"You pinched my BUTT!" Becca shouts at Jace.

"Gross!" Jace says. "I would NEVER even CONSIDER touching your butt."

She points her finger in his face. "Liar!"

Jace snorts. "And you say I'm conceited."

"No one else could've done it Jace," Becca says.

Suddenly Jace's eyes go wide. "OMIGOD! GHOSTS! It must be a Succubus!"

Grace coughs. "Jace, it's incubus."

Jace, ignoring her, suddenly leaps from his chair and starts to pierce it behind him with his seraph blade repeatedly.

Grace sucks in a breath of panic. "Jace! You idiot! How did you even get that one the plane? You're going to get us kicked off! Stop stabbing the chair!"

"Not if I save everyone's lives we won't!"

"Bloody hell," Ben says quietly, shocked at Jace's insanity.

Meanwhile passengers are wide awake staring at him with fear of him being a psychopath.

"Okay, this is SO not what we expected," Grace says to Ben.

Ben shakes his head silently and disbelievingly at Jace.

Becca screams. "JACE STOP IT YOUR GOING TO STAB ME!"

"I'm saving your life here!" Jace yells at her, thinking she was beging ungrateful.

"Well if you want to save my life then STOP STABBING RIGHT WHERE I AM!"

"Jace, there wouldn't be a ghost on this airplane. It's brand new," Grace says logically.

"Yeah Jace, listen to her!" Becca says frantically. She's sitting curled up into a ball on her seat as far away from Jace as possible.

"Hey, man. Take it easy. There isn't a ghost," Ben says to him.

Jace finally stops stabbing the chair to look at him. "Well then who the hell pinched my frenemies butt?"

"We're frenemies again?" Becca sniffled.

Jace rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah. I was a jer—je—man this is hard." He closes his eyes. "I was a jereeerk. There, I said it. I was a jerk and I'm sor—sorry."

Becca nods. "I'm sorry too. For everything I said."

Jace finally sits down and everyone on the plane practically sighs with relief. They sit there kind of awkward, not sure what to do, so Jace sticks out his hand and they call it truce.

"Wait. Ben, how do you know there isn't a ghost?" Becca asks.

"Well that doesn't matter now because were all friends and/or frenemies here right?" Grace says hopefully.

Jace and Becca turn around and stare at Ben and Grace.

"How. Do. You. Know?" Jace asked dramatically.

"I pinched her butt. I reached between the seats and pinched her because we knew it would get you two talking," Ben explained.

They look at Grace. "Don't drag me into this. I had no idea you did it."

"You told me to! You said do something, then we had an argument, and then you told me to pinch her butt and it would get them started talking."

"I..I..I did NOT! You guys don't really believe him do you?" Grace asked them.

"Yes," they both said.

"But why?"

"Babe," Jace began, "your voice gets all high when you lie."

"It does not!" Grace says in her high voice.

They all raise their eyebrows at her.

Grace sighed. "Okay, fine. Maybe I had a hand in it."

"We're gonna get you guys back," Becca said.

Jace nodded. "Really good."


	10. Bitching Bungalows

Hours later Grace, Jace, Ben and Becca all got off of the plane. Becca asked why they didn't get in trouble for Jace having a weapon on the plane.

"I have no idea why. Maybe some perky flight attendant let it slide or something," Grace replied. Becca nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

"What are we talking about?" Jace asked coming up behind them. They ignored him.

"Or maybe they thought he was too cute to be a terrorist," Becca mused.

Ben had to add his two cents. "Or maybe they were all too afraid to do anything. Or maybe they were in a trance. You know how they get when it comes to him," he said, nodding toward Jace.

"True…" Becca agreed.

Jace had confusion written all over his face. "Know how who is?" he asked.

Grace patted him on the back. "Nothing, honey," she said.

Becca nodded. "Listen to Grace. She's a smart girl," Becca told him as the group came up on the luggage belt. Ben looked around.

"Where is our luggage?" he asked impatiently.

"It's supposed to come out of that portal thingy after we summon it," Jace said pointing.

Becca snorted and unsuccessfully tried not to laugh. She excused herself and ran for the bathroom so as not to get on Jace's bad side again.

Jace looked after her laughing and retreating figure with another confused expression on his face. "What'd I say?" he asked Ben, who was able to control his laughter.

"Uh…nothing. Let's just watch for our bags," he said with a straight face while watching the "portal."

"Let's hope they hurry, I want to get to the bungalows. This is going to be so much fun!" Grace said, bouncing on her toes in anticipation.

Finally Becca walked out of the bathroom and make her way to her friends.

"Hey here she comes." Jace said, pointing in her direction.

Becca saw Jace looking at her and then made the mistake of looking at the conveyor belt and lost it again. She covered her mouth and ran back into the bathroom.

"Is she sick or something?" Jace asked, seeing her odd behavior.

"Uh, yeah that's it. She's not feeling well," Ben said, then quickly changed the subject. "Here comes our luggage."

Their luggage was easy to spot. Jace's had a GAC logo on it, Becca's was pink and black, Grace's was peachy hue, and Ben's was beige with black trim.

Jace and Ben grabbed the bags then they looked around for Becca, realizing she was still in the bathroom.

They all walked toward it to wait for Becca to emerge. Jace looked at her with partial concern when she finally did.

"You okay? Are you still sick?" he asked.

Becca furrowed her brow. "Sick?" Becca asked.

"Yeah, you know how you weren't feeling well?" Ben said with emphasis.

"Oh, right. Yes I'm fine," Becca said, cating on and linking her arm with Ben's as they all walked to the car rental. Grace had a bemused look on her face and she smirked at Becca.

"What? It was funny and you know it," Becca said.

"Yeah, but I try not to laugh at him all the time, and with great restraint let me tell you. He's never flown before," Grace said quietly, trying to not let Jace hear.

"I don't laugh at him all the time. And he's the one who laughed at me last night at the pizza parlor," she pointed out, then added, "and I was crying!"

By now they were getting into a car and driving to the bungalows.

"Yes, and it was mean of him to laugh. But you have to admit that what the waiter said was kind of funny. I mean, really. How did he even come up with that?" she said. Becca looked at her indignantly. Grace quickly added, "BUT it was completely untrue."

"I wasn't laughing and neither was Ben."

"Oh, come on. He was just being a jerk. You're a bigger person," Grace said.

"It still hurt." Becca frowned. "Think of how Philip called you his little housewife."

Grace sighs and hugs her friend. "I know. I did threaten to stab him afterward. Actually, I did stab him."

Becca grinned. "And that was AWESOME!" she said enthusiastically. "My best friend: she kicks ass."

"And don't you forget it," Grace replied with a laugh.

Finally they reach the bungalows.

"Wow! This is great!" Becca exclaimed, getting out of the car.

Jace smiled proudly. "See what did I tell you? This was a great idea."

Ben nodded.

"Probably the best you've ever had," Ben said.

Becca face-palmed. "Really Ben?"

"Thank—hey!" Jace said, stopping himself to glare at Ben.

"Jace, that's not how he meant it," Grace explained.

"Ben, you have to be careful how you word things around Jace. He can take it the wrong way," Becca told him.

"I took that in the right way thank you very much," Jace said then strode cockily to the lobby to get the keys to the bungalows.

"See what you do?" Grace said, narrowing her eyes at Ben.

"I didn't mean to! I meant the best idea he ever had for the four of us. And by the way, it's the first time we've all done a vacation together..." Ben said, trailing off. "You do the math."

"But I suck at math," Becca whined, confused.

"It's a figure of speech," Grace explained.

"Oh," Becca said, still not understanding. "Anything related to math makes my brain choke." She walked in the direction Jace had taken thinking the conversation was taking a turn to math.

"Um, I'm not sure what you meant just then. I get that this is our first time having a vacation together, but what does that have to do with Jace's attitude?" Grace asked.

Ben sighed. "Not his attitude. It was his best idea for the four of us and this is the first thing we've all done together so it was a compliment. Besides, I don't see a difference in his attitude," Ben said.

"Smartass," Grace insulted then walked away leaving Ben with four bags of luggage to carry and only two hands. When she enters the lobby she finds Jace and Becca in a heated argument.

"Jace, quit flirting!" Becca scolded. The guy behind the counter eyed Jace warily.

"For the last time, Becca, I'm not gay," Jace said, moving his arms animatedly.

"Well, you flirt with everyone, Jace."

"Bitch," he said for the millionth time.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Becca shouted.

"No," Jace replied like a petulant child.

Grace looked up to the sky. "Why me?" she moaned.

Becca stormed out of the lobby and back to Ben.

Grace steps up to the counter with a sigh. "Please excuse them. They have friend issues. I promise they actually like each other."

Becca ran into Ben—or rather a pile of bags on top of Ben—on her way out the door.

"A little help, please?" he gasped with strain. Becca pulled two bags off him and he sighed with relief. "Thanks, Love."

"No problem," she said, still pissed off at Jace. Ben froze.

"What did I do?" he asked, praying that it wasn't too serious and that he wasn't in "couch" or "floor" trouble.

"YOU didn't do anything," Becca said. Ben relaxed.

"Oh. Jace?" he guessed, already knowing the answer.

"Yep," she replied.

Ben rolled his eyes even though he was relieved that Jace was the one she was mad at and not him.

"Look you all seem very weird and very young to have rented a bungalow let alone two bungalows, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave," said the dude behind the lobby counter.

"What? I paid for those bungalows! Look up my name, dipstick, It should be under Herondale; Jace Herondale," Jace said, pounding his fist on the counter for emphasis. The dude looked insulted. However, knowing Jace, he felt that he was the one insulted because the guy wouldn't hand over the keys to the bungalows he had paid for.

"Unless you can give me proof that you are not a terrorist or illegal, I will not allow you into our resort," the dude said with his nose in the air.

"Oh! Well why didn't you say so?" Grace said, handing him all their passports.

He took them to scrutinize. "These look legit, but you all still seem...off to me—like you're hiding something. I took two years of Criminal Intelligence in college, you know," he said.

"Listen, we all just got done fighting some dude that was from year 1910 back in our hometown and I almost lost my girlfriend to this psychopath who wanted to take her back to his time and make her his own personal housewife. Ben here," he says nodding to him, "is half cat, or what does he call it...Mai. My girlfriend and I are Shadowhunters who save the mundanes of this world from demonic terror. Ben's girlfriend is also Mai like he is, but has an extra power—a wicked power to annoy you within the first fifteen minutes of meeting her," Jace said, fixing the guy with an evil glare.

"I would say that you're insane, but you showed no signs of lying," he said, amazed.

Becca glared at Jace, wishing that looks could kill.

"Yes, and you must know that that's a first for me. So be grateful and give us our rooms or I will have to hurt you," Jace informed the guy.

Ben and Becca take a step back.

"Jaaace," Grace says, worried.

Becca rolls her eyes. "I would listen to him, dude. He can be crazy if he wants to be," she says, bored.

Jace rolls up the sleeves of his plaid button down shirt to reveal a dagger strapped to his inner forearm. The guy instantly seems panicked. Jace smiles a slow, deathly grin.

"That's right. So, can I have the keys to our rooms or not?" Jace threatens.

The hotel guy just hands over the keys eyes without further objection.

"Thank you," Jace says and turns to Becca to give her the keys. She swivels on her heel and walks out of the lobby.

Ben gives the bellhop an apologetic smile and takes the keys.

Grace sighs. "What did you do now?" she asked her boyfriend.

"I don't know," Jace said.

"You two really need to get along better. I'll ask her real quick before we separate to unpack at our different bungalows what is the matter now," she said, quickly following her best friend out of the lobby.

Ben and Jace grab the bags and share a look. "Women," they say simultaneously shaking their heads.

"Becca!" Grace shouted, spotting her friend. "What did he do now?"

"He called me a bitch again when all I was trying to do was make him aware that he flirts with everyone. Guys included," Becca said, watching the waves crash against the beach in front of the bungalows.

"Oh, you know him. That's his way of saying that he cares for you even though you annoy him," Grace said, taking the matter lightly.

"Uh-huh," Becca said disbelievingly.

"It was embarrassing for him. That's probably why he got mad," Grace tried.

"Well it's not like I shouted it across the room," Becca countered with a huff.

"Becca, you stated it out loud," Grace said.

"No, I didn't," Becca argued.

Grace gave her a pointed look.

"Well….I didn't say it loudly."

"But you didn't whisper it either." Grace clapped her hands together. "Well, now that is settled, I'll have a talk with him about the name calling."

"Thank you," Becca said gratefully. "And tell him I'm sorry."

"Umm, are you guys done now?" Ben asked as he and Jace walked up to the girls. "This bag is really heavy. What did you do? Pack your entire apartment?" Ben directed at Becca who shot him a look.

"Don't even go there right now." she warned as they started walking toward their bungalow.

Grace giggled and started walking with Jace to theirs next door.


	11. Shopping Uncertainty

Jace unlocked the door, and he and Grace are immediately transported into their own little world of paradise. The kitchen is a nook off to the right as soon as they come in and a small living room with a flat screen television is nestled farther into the bungalow. Off the living room is a deck with two gigantic sliding glass doors. Beyond them is a perfect, panoramic view of the beach—no civilization in the frame at all.

Jace sets down their luggage in the foyer and the two explore, Grace's mouth slack with the expensive taste of it all.

After inspecting the bathroom, and noticing that the countertops in every room were granite, Grace finally asked him, "Jace? How did you pay for all of this?"

He smiles. "My father left a hefty sum of cash to me in his will."

She blinked. "Without knowing your name?" Grace remembered that his parents died even before he was born.

"He labeled me as his 'only son' in it and there were papers of his DNA included. I got tested to prove my inheritance. We share the same blood after all."

Grace smiles sadly. "How do you feel about all this? Have you finally let...him...go?" she said, referring to Valentine.

Jace paused for a moment, thinking, and then nodded. "Yes. I have. All Valentine did was teach me how to be a good fighter, not how to be a son. My real father, I want him to be proud of me. Not to look down on me as his son who betrayed him by taking sides with the enemy."

"I am so happy for you," Grace says, still not able to get over how Jace had called Valentine by his name instead of 'father'.

Jace shrugged. "It is expected of me. Also, I think that my real father, Stephen, would be proud if I stopped calling that traitor my father. It disgraces him."

"Wow! Ben, check this place out!" Becca said as she opened the door.

He looked around. "It is rather ritzy isn't it?"

"NO! It's freaking sick! Check out the tub! It's a Jacuzzi!"

Ben comes over to look as well. "Nice. I have GOT to find the bedroom before my arm falls off."

Noticing him struggle, Becca says, "Oh God. Give it here." She takes the suitcases and carry them like it's nothing.

Ben splutters, "Well...you weren't holding them forever."

She just rolls her eyes and plops them on the king-size bed.

As they unpacked, Becca came to realize she had forgotten her bathing suit. "Crap! I forgot my bathing suit."

After unpacking, Jace and Grace put on their flip flops and walk over hand in hand to Ben and Becca's bungalow.

Becca opens the door cheerily. "Hey guys! Aren't the bungalows amazing?"

"YES! Ohmigod, we are going to have so much fun!" Grace jumps and claps, then has a look of seriousness pass over her face. "But there's a problem. I need a new bathing suit."

Becca looks relieved. "Thank God you do. I forgot mine."

"That's a good thing?" Jace asks.

"I have to get a new one," Becca says blatantly.

"I second that."

Jace slowly starts to back away. "And this is where we leave, Ben my man. Check out the club with me?"

Becca puts her hands on her hips. "You guys are going, too."

"The hell we are! Shopping? We're on the beach!"

Becca and Grace give them death stares.

Jace finally gives in and sighs. "Fine. I need a new nail file, anyway." Then he adds, "But if I'm going he is too," Jace insists, pointing to Ben who is trying to sneak out the back door.

"BENJAMIN STONE YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE!" Becca yelled.

Grace grabs Becca and Jace's hand and give's a girly squeal. "Oh my God, we're going to have so much fun!"

Jace gives an unenthusiastic, "Yeay."

Ben looks like he'd rather kill himself. Becca squeals with Grace and they both drag the guys out.

At the shops, Becca and Grace go straight to the fancy ones instead of stopping at the tourist traps, knowing that they could get a high quality bathing suit there instead for the same price.

The boutique they chose is in an exotic French decor with uncomfortable chairs.

The boys look at them dolefully. Meanwhile, the girls head straight for the bathing suits and start flipping through the bikinis. After the guys see the bathing suits they were looking at their attitude brightens somewhat.

However, Jace, bored, figures if he helps the process might go faster. He walks over and picks up one that is skimpy and black with red sequins.

"Try this one," he says, handing it to Grace.

She laughs like it's the funniest thing she's ever seen and shoves it back at him. "Nice try."

Ben taps Jace on the shoulder. "Dude, don't help. Just watch. They will probably model them for us."

Jace whispers back while the girls aren't watching, "Well, duh, but there's no harm in making them hurry." He looks back at them. "Believe me, this could take hours."

"If we rush them they will get mad and might not let us watch so calm down," Ben argues.

With a loud, dramatic sigh like he might die, Jace flops back down on the uncomfortable chair. "Fine. But you so totally owe me for having to endure more of this than I have to."

"Dude keep it down! They might hear you."

Jace just looked at him with impatience. "You're buying me a shot. Either that or a very expensive bottle of wine."

"Just keep your mouth shut."

On the radio "Kiss Me" is playing. Jace sighs again.

Grace grins. "Oh, I love this song. It's perfect for a moonlit dance with the guy of your dreams."

Jace raises his eyebrows at Ben.

"What?"

He rolls his eyes towards the girls. "Now do you see? That is so feminine. I may die."

Ben just smiles. "They love it, though."

"Yes, I can see that. It's still so...girly."

Ben shrugs. "If we want them, we have to live with it."

Jace huffs, "I slay demons. I do not belong in a bikini shop on a froo-froo chair."

Grace finally has a superb six bathing suits in her arms and heads into the dressing room to try them on, quite determined.

Becca follows behind with a few choices of her own.

Grace begins to try on suits rapidly, throwing the rejects over the door.

Jace and Ben watch in awe as bathing suits of all different colors eventually get tossed on top of the door.

"It's like, a girl version of Man vs. Food," Ben comments.

Jace nods in agreement.

Finally, Grace is down to the two that she likes, but needs a different size in a top. "Jace!"

Jace shoots a panicked glance at Ben as if to say, what do I do?

"Respond!"

Jace coughs. "Uh, what?"

She holds a top over the door. "I need a different size in this," she requests, swinging the bikini top back and forth.

Jace gets up and awkwardly comes to the door. "In what size?" he asks.

"Well, the sizes are different here. They all go by bra sizes."

"Oh," was Jace's one-syllable response.

"Yeah, so this one I need in a 34 B."

Jace looks at Ben again for guidance.

Ben rolls his eyes. "Go get the bathing suit and bring it back to her."

Jace takes it from her. "Okay, will do." He walks towards the rack and begins flipping through the tops. "Holy crap this is odd. Why are there letters involved in the sizes?"

Jace comes back a few minutes later and looks pissed.

"What happened?" Ben asks.

Jace stomps past him practically throws the top over the door.

"Hey! Easy," Grace says from the other side of the door.

Jace sits back down and crosses his arms over his chest. "Some dude came up and thought I was looking for me. Do I look like I wear a bikini?"

Ben has a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I won't answer that for the sake of our friendship."

Jace gaps at him. "You just answered by saying that you won't answer! I AM NOT GAY!"

Hearing Jace's heightened voice, Grace asks, "Who said you were gay?"

"Some guy who thought I was shopping for myself."

"Well, did you struggle with the sizes?" she asks him.

Becca conceals a laugh.

"Why?"

She briefly pauses before answering, "Because any normal guy would know his girlfriend's top size at least relatively well. You were actually looking at the sizes on the tags and therefore appeared as if you were shopping for yourself."

Becca can't control herself and laughs out loud.

"But I'm a dude!" he counters.

"Jace," Grace says, "gay dudes sometimes wear bikinis."

Jace shakes his head. "Mundanes are sick, I tell you. And I do know my girlfriend's top size."

Now Grace is trying not to laugh. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

"Well then what is it?"

Jace shifts in his seat. "I prefer not to say."

"Really? And could that be because you actually don't know?" Grace asks, a hint of laughter in her tone.

"NO! I just...don't feel like saying."

"You totally don't know it," Ben sided with Grace.

"You are not helping my situation one bit." Jace glares at him.

Grace sighs. "Jace, I just told you like, five minutes ago."

Becca is in the dressing room dying from laughter.

"That was it? That's actually a size and not a code for a size?"

Grace snorts.

"Because codes have letters and I'm not a girl, despite what people might think, so I'm guessing that it's girl code," Jace explains his logic.

"No, Jace," she laughs. "It's not girl code."

"Oh. So...what do they mean then?"

"I think I'll keep you guessing, because you seem oh so curious."

"Poor Jace," Becca says with mock sympathy. "Grace, just tell him."

"Oh, c'mon. Does he really need to know?" she said.

"He's just going to bug you about it until you tell him."

Grace sighs. "Okay, so the letters and numbers stand for two different sets of measurements, that's all I'm telling you."

Suddenly, Becca yells, "Ben! I need this suit in a 34C and a medium bottom, please." She dangles the suit over the door.

"Good luck with the creepy dude," Jace tells him.

Finally Grace comes out of the dressing room wearing a striped, teal, halter bikini top and string bikini bottoms in the same color. She also found a dainty chain with two charms on it: a starfish and a key. They were all in sterling silver and the chain sparkled when it caught the light.

"Alright, judgment time. What do you think?" she asks.

Jace mutters under his breath, "He was right."

Ben returns with Becca's suit and hands it to her it over the door.

"I told you so," Ben says.

Jace runs a hand through his hair. "The dude said it would go great with blonde hair. He was right."

Grace looks pleased. "Yeah? I thought it matched my eyes more so, but whatever."

Jace shakes his head. "No, it does; almost the exact same color."

Grace smiles half-heartedly at Jace's response. He seems less enthusiastic than she was expecting, and it made her think about not buying it. "Um, okay."

Becca steps out now with a purple, strapless bikini top and purple string bottoms.

When she sees Grace, Becca says, "Nice suit. The color is perfect for you."

"Thanks," Grace responds, "but I think I might get a different one instead."

She nods. "Ben?"

"It's nice," he answers.

"Nice?"

"Yeah."

Becca frowns and decides to try on another she liked. It was a bikini again except this time in black.

Grace also turns around and pick up her second choice which is a burgundy red bathing suit. She takes it up to the front counter and purchases it without showing anyone.

"Is that the one you want?" Jace asks her, standing when he saw her leave the dressing rooms with merchandise in her hands.

"Yeah, I think that it'll be good with my complexion."

She turns around to look at Becca after handing the cashier a fifty. "It's great. I say get it."

Jace looks confused, wondering what he did wrong. "Um..."

Becca squints her eyes at Grace. "I need to talk to you." Grace leaves the clerk to bag her suit and walks off to the side to speak with her.

Becca opens her mouth to speak to Grace, then shuts it and opens it again to address someone else, "Ben if you listen you will sleep on the couch the whole vacation."

Ben sighs and rolls his eyes and Jace snorts.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Becca asks softly.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Because you were so enthusiastic about getting suits and now you're ready to leave."

"Because I've found the one I like."

Becca raises her eyebrow. "Really? Grace, I know you better than that."

"Really," she repeats. "Red's not normally my thing because it's too fiery, but it still looks good." She pauses, and then looks down at the ground. "Anyway, it makes me look less...unexciting."

"Ah. I see. Grace is that really the one you want or do you just think you need to look more exciting for Jace?"

"I don't know. He just...doesn't seem to be happy that I'm here. He acted different as soon as I put that suit on. In a way I've never seen him react like before."

"So? If it's the one you like get the one you like. You don't even know if he likes the red one."

"I don't want my boyfriend seeing me and thinking that I'm ugly in a bikini. He doesn't seem to be telling the truth, either. And red is exciting and vibrant. All guys like red."

Becca sighs exasperatedly. "Okay, Grace. But you should make yourself happy. And for your information, Jace loves you no matter what."

Grace scoffs. "No matter what means acting like he hated the suit I tried on? I don't think so. He was unreadable. And he acted like he couldn't speak for a second. Was it really that bad?"

"Grace!" she exclaims in a hushed tone. "You were reading it wrong. Haven't you ever heard of guys being speechless?"

She flips a hand. "It depends on what kind of speechless it was." She sighs. "I don't know he's just...never looked at me like that. I don't know what to make of it."

Becca grins mischievously. "They tend to go blank when they see something they really like, you know."

Grace scoffs. "What he really likes, huh? Well that explains why he's always all over me," she says sarcastically. She looks over at Jace sitting in the chair. "All I want is for him to look at me like I'm special to him."

"Don't you think that he does?" Becca asks.

"Sometimes, but he should feel that way all the time, shouldn't he? I mean, I do about him."

Jace notices the girls talking intently out of the corner of his and catches the expression on Grace's face. He becomes concerned.

Grace finally turns back to the counter to finish purchasing the bathing suit while Becca returns to Ben to finish picking out her final suit.

Jace comes over to Grace. "Hey," he says quietly, touching her arm. "Is there something wrong?"

She gives him a forced smile. "No, nothing's wrong."

: Jace raises an eyebrow disbelievingly. "You always say not to lie to you, so why are you lying to me?"

That did it. Grace sighs, broken down. "Okay. Here it is. Why did you act so strange when I tried on that suit? Was it really that horrible?"

Jace is taken aback. "Of course not, I would have told you if it was. Why do you think I would let you wear something that is ugly?"

"Well then why did you have that face," she asks.

"What face?"

"You went completely blank. You could have at least told me what you thought of it, truthfully and openly."

Jace thought for a moment then smiled, running a hand over his chin. "If I told you exactly what I thought of you in that bathing suit you would have blushed and got embarrassed."

She hides her face, ashamed. "Was it really that bad?"

Jace moves in closer. "No, it was really that good."

Then she blushed.

Jace smiles devilishly. "See? And I didn't even tell you what I was thinking, I just told you vaguely." He then held up the striped bathing suit that Grace had tried on and set it on the counter. "Excuse me, but I'd like to return that red bathing suit that my girlfriend just bought and exchange it for this one."

He has another thought. "Oh, and give her money back. I'm paying for it," he says, pulling out his wallet.

"Jace! No, don't do that. You've already spent a fortune on this vacation for all of us," Grace says.

Jace just smiles and ignores her, watching as the salesman makes the transaction.

Grace laughs a little and hugs him. "Thank you."

He holds up his hands. "No need. It's my duty as being your official boyfriend."

When the guy hands her the bag Grace yells over to Becca and Ben that she's going home to put the suit on and that she and Jace would meet then afterwards at the beach.

When Grace leaves, Jace quickly reaches into his pocket and pulls out the silver necklace that she had liked. "Here," he hands it to the cashier.

"You would like to purchase this as well?" he asks him.

"Yes," Jace says, and then lowers his voice. "I would also like to buy the diamond ring that comes with it on display."

"I see." The man smiles. "Of course, sir." He gets out the ring and shows it to Jace. "Is it this the one? Or would you like to see the others that we have to offer?"

Jace has a deep-set line of concentration on his face. Finally he responds with a question, "Do girls care about how much a ring costs or the man who gives it to them?"

The guy lowers the ring, thinking. "I would say that it matters on the lady you intend to give this to and how much you know her heart."

Jace grins. "Excellent answer."


	12. Takeout Concussion

After Jace finished up and left, Becca came back out of the dressing room in another black bikini. This time though the bottoms had sliver rings holding the sides of the bathing suit together and a halter top. Ben glanced up from his phone when she came out and his mouth dropped open and his face went blank.

"Okay, based on your reaction, I think I should get this one," she said, laughter evident in her voice. Becca went back into the dressing room to change into her clothes and emerged a few minutes later. She and Ben walked up to the cashier and paid then left and got ready to go to the beach.

There are quite a few people, all in major vacation leisure mode. Becca roves her gave over to a girl in a teal striped bathing suit lying out on a towel. She puts down a book she seemed to be engrossed in and looks up to see you her friends, smiles, and waves them over.

"Oh, there's Grace!" Becca said pointing and waving back.

Ben looks relieved. "Oh, good. Now I can put these towels and umbrellas down." They walk over and spread out a couple of towels for themselves.

Becca look around after getting settled. "Where's Jace?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Grace said.

"I haven't seen him. Ben? Have you seen him?"

Ben looks at the sandy ground. "I haven't seen him."

Grace squints her eyes at him. "You're lying," she says. "Where is he?"

"Just leave it alone for now, please? He's not doing anything bad, I swear," Ben pleads.

Reluctantly the girls don't question him further but is still suspicious that Jace is up to something.

Grace comments, "I've heard that one before. The last time it was at his adoptive parent's house in Alicante. He put laxative in the food." She paused. "Thank God he told me not to eat anything."

"It's nothing like that, I promise," Ben assured.

Doubtfully, Grace uh-huhs.

After about three more minutes Jace finally plops down next to everyone. "Hey. So what'd I miss?"

"Nothing yet, but my back needs you," Grace says.

Jace looks confused. "Huh?"

Ben points to the sunscreen and makes rubbing motions with his hands.

Jace's mouth makes an 'o' shape and he grabs the sunscreen.

Grace quickly grabs the one he just picked up. "No, don't use that one. It has some funny product in it that I've never heard of before. I think I'm going to return it. Here, use this one," she says, handing him a lotion made by Neutrogena.

"Okay," Jace complies.

When Jace finishes with Grace he turns to Becca. "Do you need some?"

Grace raises her eyebrows and tries not to laugh. "Jace, you're not the cabana boy."

Ben grabs the bottle from Jace and glares at him. "Dude, hands to your own girlfriend."

Jace holds up his palms in defense, and then lowers them. "That is so totally not what I meant."

Becca rolls her eyes at Ben. "Thanks for the offer Jace. It was sweet."

"Wait. Does that mean I get those feathers back?" Jace asks.

Grace laughs. "Yep."

"Sweet."

After Ben rubs sunscreen on Becca's back, she and Grace lie on their stomachs, talking quietly together.

After about twenty minutes, Jace leans up on his elbow and props his head up. He grabs some sand and drizzles it on top of Ben's stomach to wake him.

"What the—what do you want? I was sleeping."

"Want to go swimming?"

Ben rolls his eyes tiredly. "Sure, why not?"

Jace grins slyly and rises to strip of his white V-neck t-shirt then drops it on the sandy ground. He nods in the direction of the water. "Last one in is a rotten fairy fruit."

Ben grins. He has his shirt off in a flash and is already well on his way before Jace realizes it.

Jace sprints into the ocean and once it gets to his thighs he dives forward disappearing under the surface. When he comes up for air he has a mouthful of water that he spits at Ben's face. Ben side steps the stream and the boys tackle each other, full on water-fighting, laughing like it's the funniest thing ever.

The girls sit up to watch their boyfriends. They roll their eyes and smile at their childlike antics.

Grace laughs and digs her toes into the sand, debating on whether or not to go play as well. She looks over at Becca, and smiles. "One two three GO!" she yells, not telling Becca they were racing, then rushes into the ocean.

"Hey!: Grace tries to push Becca while running but ends up falling into the ocean and laughing as she spits up water, giving Becca the stink eye.

Becca laughs as well and reaches out to help Grace up, but she pulls her down with her.

When Becca comes back up, the girls are both laughing.

"This is the best."

"I know right?"

"I thought cats didn't like water" Jace says to Ben, trying to distract him so he can benefit from one last take down.

Not falling for it, Ben says, "I'm not a cat. I have cat-like abilities. How many times do I have to explain it to you?"

"Prove it then," Jace says with his signature grin.

Ben smirks and tackles Jace, completely taking him off-guard. They end up under water. Jace, holding his breath, kicks Ben underwater, and swims to the surface to get air. When he surfaces, he is smiling with a crazy look on his face.

Ben shakes out his hair out and grins. "Believe me now?"

"Yeah, I believe you."

"What did you do, Jace?" Becca asks.

"He kicked me," Ben says, not waiting for Jace to reply.

"Ben! Are you okay?" Becca gushes, splashing over to her boyfriend.

"Oh, please. This is basic standard fighting. I used to do this with my brother Alec," Jace tell her.

"It was under water so it wasn't that hard. Besides, I have died before remember? Being kicked is nothing now."

Jace slaps him on the back. "One thing we have in common, bro."

Ben nods. "Yes, besides being devilishly handsome."

"True that. We're both fly."

Becca laughs. "Yes, you both are."

"Ohmigod. You two are complimenting each other's hotness?" Grace asks, astounded.

"Don't point it out, Grace, they might realize that they're actually getting along," Becca warns.

"Getting along? Who says I get along with people?" Jace asks, hearing her.

"They might realize they're having a bromance," Becca whispers not very quietly to Grace.

"Bromance?" says Jace.

Ben shakes his head. "I don't want to know."

"You're both guys, but your close. Hence, you're in a non-lovey relationship. A bromance."

Jace snorts. "I'm just glad there was a NON involved with that sentence." He pauses to think of what she had just said. "Huh. You make up words?" Jace asks her, suddenly off-topic.

"No, I didn't make it up. I'm surprised you guys haven't heard of a bromance."

Jace rolls his eyes and splashes Becca.

Becca splashes back.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, are you gonna do something about it?" Becca asks.

"You're dead." Jace tackles Becca lighter than he did with Ben, but still enjoying being able to dunk her nonetheless.

Becca resurfaces, spluttering. When Jace's head pops back up, Becca dunks him back under.

They see bubbles rise, a sign of Jace losing breath, then look to see Becca's mouth shape a surprised "o" as Jace kicks out at her ankles, sending her sinking under the water and consequentially releasing him while he surfaces and is laughing hard.

"It's hard holding your breath when you're freaking laughing your head off," he says.

Becca stays under the water and swims around to the back of Jace to where just her head is peeking out. When Jace sees that she hasn't come back up yet, he brings to freak out.

"WHERE'D SHE GO?"

Grace and Ben laugh at his face and don't answer.

Jace dives under, realizing that she's a better swimmer than he had first thought and knew she was planning an attack. He spins around and sees Becca, then smiles and starts to swim after her.

Becca's eyes go wide as she frantically tries to swim away, but he easily catches up to her. Jace grabs Becca and lifts her up out of the water, then throws her towards Ben.

"Ha!" he gloats. "I win."

Ben catches Becca and tosses her back like a fish.

"Dude!" Jace yells.

"Hey! I am not a freaking football!"

"I don't want her. She's a bad catch," Jace says to Ben, throwing her back.

"Hey," Ben tells him in mock warning. "My girlfriend is a great catch."

"Then you keep her!" He throws her back one more time.

"I just thought you might want an opportunity to bug her because she hates this obviously."

Grace, watching the spectacle, suddenly says, "Uh, guys? She's looking kind of green."

"Ben," she hiccups. "Put me down, please."

"Oh. Don't puke," Jace says.

Becca fake-gags.

Jace yells and dives away. "I'd like to leave the water clean!"

Becca laughs. "I'm not going to throw up Jace. Besides fish p—"

"Don't!" Grace stops her.

"What?"

Grace doesn't respond and swims after Jace.

"What did I say?" Becca asks Ben after Grace is gone.

"Darling, if you tell him what fish do in the water he will freak."

While Jace is swimming away, he eventually stops to see how far away he's gotten and grins, then begins to float leisurely.

After Grace catches up to him she stops to see that he's floating on the surface of the water with a peaceful smile as the sun melts into his skin.

She turns on her back and decides to float with him for a minute, realizing that he picked a perfect spot where the current didn't affect the water too much, and the sun was direct.

After a few seconds Grace looks over at him, wondering if he knew that she was there, and saw the corner of his mouth turn upwards.

"Yes, I know your here."

Grace laughs. "I was just wondering if you were dead. You know the poisonous jelly fish. And you're floating on your back."

Jace freaks out and splashes around looking for them. Grace laughs and continues to take in the sun.

Ben and Becca get out of the water and walk along the beach in silence holding hands until they see a beach volleyball court. Becca stops then jerks Ben back along the beach to find Grace and Jace.

She finds them in the water, and wades in until she reaches them.

"What's up?" Grace asks contently.

"Stop!" Jace yells. "There's jelly fish!"

Becca looks at him oddly.

Grace rolls her eyes. "No, Jace. I was just kidding."

Jace exhales his relief. "Oh."

"There's a beach volleyball court just down the beach! Let's go! I brought my volleyball!"

"Yes! That will be so much fun!" Grace says, flipping over and standing to wring out the water from her hair.

"It's on," Jace says.

"How are we going to divide teams?" Grace asks.

They all are heading back to Ben who is standing at the edge of the water looking confused. Becca never told him what she took off for.

"Girls verses guys? No, that wouldn't be fair. We would kick their butts."

"Hey!" Jace objects.

"Okay, how about just couples then?" Grace suggests.

"Babe, if it's us together, we use move number 415 to take their butts down," Jace tells her, glaring at his opponents.

"415? That's a little extreme," Grace says. "Besides, volleyball is a no contact sport."

"How about move 567, then?" Jace suggests persistently.

"Jace, no contact."

"Okay, fine. 345?"

"Better."

"So how are we doing this?" Becca asks.

"Us versus you two, I guess. Let's ask Ben."

"Ask me what?"

"We're all going to play volleyball. Whose team do you want to be on?" Grace asks him.

"Yours," was Ben's easy answer.

"Hey!" Becca says.

"Sorry, she's better."

"Why?" Grace asks.

"Because you hot and can kick ass," Jace says, sizzling the last word.

"What is this?" Becca asks to no one. "My boyfriend has turned against me."

"Ben, why pick me?" Grace asks him.

"As I stated before, I think you are a better player." He looks to Becca. "No offense, Love."

Clearly, she is offended and Jace grabs her arm. "Come on, Becca, we'll kick their asses."

He looks over his shoulder, "Just so you know, Gracie, if I win it's nothing personal."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

Grace is fuming. "That son of a—"she breaks off, having a flashback. "This is just like when we met."

"When you met?" Ben asks her.

"Yes. I was new at the Institute, and Jace and I were paired up to fight against one another. We showed superior skills; mine were exemplary, but nowhere near as good as his. Ever since then we were paired together to train. We fell in love then."

Ben blinks. "You guys fell in love fighting each other? That's odd."

"I know, we're nuts, but yeah. He was just as cocky then," she says, glaring at his backside, the action feeling familiar.

"I met Becca protecting her."

"Really? How?" she asks him, picking a spot where she has good vantage.

"We had knowledge of a new Mai, and I had to make sure that nothing happened to her—that no one found out what she was and that she didn't hurt anyone. So I asked her out. That way it wouldn't be so weird that I was around her a lot. When she started noticing changes within herself I told her what she was and she started learning about us. To be honest as soon as I saw her I loved her. But I haven't told Becca that yet so keep it to yourself."

"She doesn't know you love her?"

"She has clearly told me that she wants to take it slow. We've only been together for a couple weeks and I don't want to freak her out."

"You're lucky that you told me, because any normal best friend would totally tell." Grace grins.

"You won't tell, right? Promise you won't tell?" he pleads in a panic.

"Ben, I'm good at keeping secrets. But you've got to eventually tell her—especially if you want to get off the couch."

"I'm not on the couch. I'm actually surprised she hasn't freaked about the whole one bed thing while we're here."

"Well, that's a start, right?" She decided to get back to her story. "Jace told me he loved me after I accidentally punched him too hard and made his lip bleed. I freaked out then, because we had become good friends, and I bandaged it for him. The whole time he was looking at my face strangely, like he was trying to memorize everything about it. That's when I asked what was wrong and he said that he loved me."

"He told you he loved you after you punched his face and made his lip bleed? Should I make her punch me? Is that what you're saying? Because if that's what it takes..." he says in a flurry.

"No! The point is: love always happens at odd times. It catches you off guard."

"Oh." He then looks at Jace, and coughs. "Clearly he is thinking about something," he says to Grace.

"What do you mean?" Grace looks up to see Jace studying her, then realizes that he's trying to figure out what position she is going to take.

Grace rolls her eyes. "Oh, he's just trying to get an upper hand. Don't let it bother you," she tells Ben.

"Are you certain? He looks different."

"Yes, that's his I-am-so-totally-going-to-win face."

Becca takes the front position, ready to kill Ben with spikes. "Serve already!" she screams at Jace.

"Alright, alright." Jace serves the ball and it sails over the net.

Grace jumps up with aggression to spike the ball over the net.

Becca noticed her signature move and jumps up to block the spike. Ben digs the block and Grace sets the ball back over the net.

Jace, pissed, jumps up to hit the ball over, but he misses and falls as the ball hits the ground.

"Ha!" Grace high-fives Ben.

Jace spits sand out of his mouth and Becca goes to help him up. She whispers, "Set me up."

"Fine," he hisses.

Ben serves the ball over the net and Jace sets the ball to her. Becca jumps and acts like she's going to spike, but at the last second she tips the ball over Grace's fingers and it falls to the ground inches in front of Ben's outstretched arms.

Jace grins and punches the air then pats Becca on the back. "Nice surprise attack."

"Oh, it is so on," Grace says.

"Bring it, Bump," she says, calling Grace by her nickname.

"Who's Bump?" Jace asks.

"Grace. It's her team nickname," Becca explains.

"Oh…" Jace trails off confused.

"Ignore her," Grace says, embarrassed. "No one has called me that in like, forever—since grade school."

Becca grins. "I just did."

"Bump is a stupid name," Grace counters.

"BUMP!"

Ben, smiling and thinking the nicknaming was a good idea, asks curiously, "What was your nickname, love?"

Grace sighs exaggeratedly. "Can we finish this? And I am SO not a bump." She puts her hands on hers hips.

"If Ben will give us the ball we can serve," Becca says.

"Oh. Here you go..." He throws it to her.

Becca catches the ball, moves back, and serves the ball hard right between the two of them.

Ben moves to hit the ball and it hits him square in the face.

Grace sucks in a breath and Becca gasps. Jace laughs until he realizes that wasn't a very easy serve.

Becca runs over to her boyfriend. "Benny! Are you alright?"

He sits up holding his nose. Becca removes his hand to see what was wrong and blood gushes from his nose.

"So...does this mean the game is off?" Jace asks.

"Jace!" Grace scolds.

"What? It's intense, and we're winning."

Ben, his voice sounding stuffy, says, "I don't want to play anymore, Mommy."

"He may have a concussion," Grace says.

"Can you walk, Ben?" Becca asks him.

"I don't want to walk."

"Oh, boy. I think you're right, Grace."

The girls help him up and Jace stands there with the volleyball. "So are we playing or not?"

Grace shoots him a look.

Jace sighs. "Fine."

They all walk to the rental car and Grace drives them to the emergency room.

Grace and Jace leave them to the doctor and sit in the waiting room.

When Becca comes out Grace asks worriedly, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine. Just what we thought—a slight concussion and a nose bleed; nothing serious."

Ben walks out of the doctor's office. "So we can go?" Jace asks.

"If we ever play volleyball again, I am not going to be on the opposite side of the net from you, Love," he says to Becca.

"Yes, Jace. We can go—"

Jace is up before Becca can even finish her sentence and is out the door, dragging Grace behind him.

"Whoa, slow down," she tells him, resisting his pull.

"I hate mundane doctors."

"It's all we had. It was hard to keep the doctor from finding out what Ben is," Becca told him. "Since were Mai, we heal quickly."

"So what was the point of coming here, then?" he asks her, ticked off.

"To make sure nothing was growing back together the wrong way or if his brain was swelling," Becca says annoyed.

"Oh, I am so sorry for not knowing that his nose could grow back together wrong," Jace tells her sarcastically.

Grace interrupts their bickering before it turns into a full blown argument. "Maybe we should call it a night? The sun's setting anyway."

"But I'm hungry," Jace whines.

"I am too," Ben agrees. "Being hit in the face makes you hungry." He glances briefly at Becca.

"There's takeout at Tiki's Restaurant just down a ways from our bungalows," Grace offers.

"Perfect," Jace says, getting in the passenger seat.

Becca crawls into the back while Ben does the same. She buckles in, notices Ben doesn't, and gives him a look. Ben rolls his eyes and puts on his seatbelt while Jace snickers, watching from the rearview mirror.

"Dude, you are so whipped," he tells Ben.

"Jace, seatbelt" Grace suddenly says to Jace. He instantly complies.

Ben smirks, despite his minor concussion. "So are you."

Jace glares at him.

Grace starts the car and drives to the restaurant. Inside they all order and eventually a waitress brings them their meals in a to-go bag.

Jace and Ben take the bags while Grace and Becca pay. Then they all get in the car and head back to the bungalows.

"So are we all eating together or separately?" Becca asks, getting out of the car.

Grace shrugs. "It depends if you guys want to. I don't mind."

"I don't care. Ben, Jace? It looks like it's up to you two."

The boys share a meaningful look before Ben says, "Let's eat separately."

Becca looks at him oddly, but shrugs and says goodnight, anyway.

Grace waves to Becca and Ben then walks off with Jace to their bungalow.


	13. An Engaging Night

Jace opens the door to the bungalow and sets the food down on the countertop quietly.

Grace comes in behind him and takes her shoes off in the foyer. "You're awfully quiet," she says, noticing his behavior.

"Oh sorry, Grace. I'm just thinking."

She shuts the door and comes over to give him a hug.

"What about?" Grace asks, arms wrapped around the front of his chest.

He sighs tiredly. "A lot lately."

Since she's hugging him from behind, Grace rests her chin on his shoulder. "Yeah? Well, stop thinking. We're on vacation, and all you're supposed to be thinking about is having fun." He didn't respond, and she worried. "Anyway, you seemed stressed."

"Well, a lot's changed."

"Yeah, I know. And I just want you to know that I am so happy for you with your relationship with Ben and Becca and how you've been getting along with them."

Jace smiles. "Yeah?"

She squeezes him. "Of course! It's huge how you're practically friends now. It means a lot to me."

"I'm glad I could make you happy," Jace says contritely.

"You always make me happy," Grace whispers in his ear, then releases him and announces that she's going to change.

Jace takes that opportune moment to call Ben. "Dude."

"Yeah."

"I'm setting the table right now," Jace says, placing forks and knives precariously on fabric napkins. He decided to reject the paper one that came with their meal and investigated cupboards for fancier ones.

"And?" Ben coaxes.

"AND I'm going to do it," he says.

There's a brief pause while Ben chokes on a beverage he was sipping, then he responds, "What the—Oh! So...why'd you call me?"

Jace understands Ben's assumption on how he interpreted his comment and backtracks. "That not—Oh by the angel." He sighs. "I am going to ask her to marry me."

"Oh." Ben nods his head on the other line. "So again, why did you call me?"

"I'm not sure how to. I have an idea of what to say, but not sure how to put it into words without her thinking I'm an idiot."

There's just silence until Ben says, "And? I have no experience with this. Say...what's on your heart," he tries.

Jace grimaces. "Who are you? Dr. Phil?"

"Hey, I'm trying to help you." He runs a hand over his face, thinking. "I don't know... just tell her how she makes you feel and all that crap girls like."

Thinking this was more appropriate to win him brownie points, Jace agrees. "Right. Okay, so, how's this? I like how you look without makeup on in the morning because you look fresh and I look fly—so that makes us perfect for each other?"

"Dude!" Ben exclaims. "That is so shallow! It has to be deep man, like, you love her and when you first saw her you knew she was the one and all that crap."

Jace sits down at the table, all the food finally arranged extravagantly on the table, and breathed in a deep, soothing breath. "Okay. When I first met you I knew that you were the one. I felt vulnerable when around you. Something that I thought was weakness at first. But then I realized as got to know you more that you actually made me strong. You filled the void living within me that I had no idea how to fill until you came along. Every time I'm away from you I feel like there's something wrong, something missing. I never realized how love worked until you showed me. I know that I am stubborn, but you took the time to care. Whatever you see in me I have no idea. I wish that I could see what you see in me, but I don't."

"Um...what else?" Jace asks, nervously bouncing his leg.

There's silence on the other line.

"What? Oh, God. It sucks, doesn't it?" Jace places his head in his hands, feeling doomed.

Finally Ben breathes, "Dude, I didn't know you were that deep." He takes a swing of soda. "You could write songs, man."

"Really?" Jace lifts his head. "What's the money in that do you think?"

Ben shrugs. "Probably pretty good, even better if you sing. You've got that look chicks dig."

Jace is appalled. "I do not sing."

"Well...it's still pretty good money…I think. Anyway, I think that pretty much covers it. Except don't forget the big question: Grace, will you marry me? It's pretty important."

"Right," he answers.

Feeling awkward, Ben decides to end the conversation knowing Jace was done needing help. "I think you're...ready to eat now, Jace. I've gotta go."

"Okay, thanks man."

"No problem. Later," he says. "Hey, Love, how was..." Ben hangs up.

Jace hangs up as well and stares at a plate in front of him, wondering why everything he knew told him that this was not a good idea, but everything inside told him it was.

Jace sighed and leaned back, thinking, "What the hell is up with you? You are a solo, a single warrior. You are destined to eventually die and die alone. What the hell are you doing?"

Just then, Grace comes out of the bedroom with a patterned skirt on, flats, and a cute sweater with a laced undershirt to match.

Seeing her reflection in the glass, Jace turns around to smile. "Hey."

Grace tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey." Without saying anything Jace comes over to take her hand and sat her down in a chair at the table.

"Wow," she says, slowly grinning noticing the candles. "Feeling sophisticated?"

Jace paces for a few seconds before running a hand through his hair and turning to face Grace. It looked like he was fighting with himself.

Her smile faltered. "You okay?" she asked. "You're not sick are you?"

"No. No, I'm fine." He kneels down in front of her, and takes Grace's hand.

She stares at him.

Jace clears his throat of the tension. "Alright, so we both know that I' horrible at saying what I really feel, so bear with me on this."

She silently nods.

Jace recited what he had just said over the phone to Ben, remembering everything perfectly. When he gets to the end he pauses, waiting, before he asks, "Grace, all I want to know is if you would like to marry me. Because everything I'm feeling right now...I mean it."

Grace is still staring at him, sort of shocked. "Oh my God," is all she can manage to say.

Jace's eyebrows knit together in concern and regret. "I knew this was going to ruin everything between us. Listen, Grace, I am so sorry."

Grace ignores his apology and pulls him to her kisses him—partly because she was so happy, and partly because she wanted him to shut up.

When they break apart Jace searches her face, "Is that a yes, then?"

She nods furiously. "Yes that's a yes!" She squeals and jumps into his arms.

Becca, hearing Grace's shriek, jumps up and rushes over to her bungalow to find both she and Jace wrapped up in an intimate and seemingly special embrace.

Becca suddenly bursts into the room. "Grace!" she shrieks. "What's wrong?"

Ben follows in closely behind after trying to stop her from possibly ruining the moment, which she had. "Sorry, man, I tried to stop her but she heard Grace scream and bolted."

They smile at them both and pull apart. It was then that Jace does one last thing. He reached into his back pocket for the ring he had bought earlier at the shop, held out his hand for Grace's, and slips it onto her finger right in front of their friends.

Becca's mouth drops open. "Wha—Oh. My. God. NO WAY! You're engaged?" she asks Grace.

Grace smiles lovingly up at him. "I am," she answers.

"Is it okay? Do you hate it?" Jace asks her.

Grace looks amazed that he would even ask her that. "No I don't hate it. It's perfect!"

He is persistent. "Are you sure you're okay with the diamond size?"

Grace rolls her eyes. "Jace, it's perfect. I don't care what it looks like, I just care that it came from you."

Becca squeals. "Aw, that is so sweet!"

"Oh boy," Ben says, and leans on a wooden support beam. At the same time, Ben claps his hand over Becca's mouth, although despite his efforts to salvage the moment, she keeps mumbling on and on from behind his hand.

Jace, relieved, leans his forehead on Grace's and looks into her sparkling eyes. "If you don't mind," he says, addressing Ben on his cue to leave, "we have some unfinished business to take care of."

Ben grins. "Go get 'em tiger." He drags Becca out the door and back to their bungalow with him.

Once the door is closed Jace picks her up wedding style and quite comically takes her into their suite, Grace laughing the entire time.

Becca is still mumbling to herself, obviously oblivious to Ben's hand over her mouth. When they arrive at their bungalow Ben removes his hand.

When he does, Becca explodes with a random to-do list about the wedding. "We have to get a florist, caterer..."

"Darling," Ben interrupts.

Becca doesn't hear him. "Secure a location for the wedding..."

"Becca…"

"Hire a minister, get a beautiful cake..."

"Becca," he says, more loudly.

"Find a dress and—"

Ben sighs and moved in fast to kiss Becca, effectively shutting her up. When they broke off, he kissed her forehead.

"Let's let the happy couple decide what they want to do, Love, okay?"

"But I..."

Ben pulls away and shakes his head. "The only butt I want to see is yours going to bed." He slaps her behind to get her moving, but she stays in one place, pouting.

"I need to plan!"

Ben gave her a stern look. "Let them decide if they want you to help. If they do, good, help them by all means. But if they don't then don't meddle. Got it?"

She frowned and said yes then went to bed.

When Ben got in he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. "Good night, Love."

"Good night, Ben." And they drifted off.

* * *

><p>When they woke up the next morning, Becca momentarily panicked at the arms around her, never having someone share her bed. Then she looked up and saw Ben's face. She relaxed a bit, and then remembered that Jace had proposed to Grace, her best friend, the night before.<p>

She carefully wiggled her way out of Ben's arms without waking him and took a quick shower. She then fixed breakfast, her mind whirling with ideas for the wedding, in case she was wanted to help organize it.

All of a sudden Ben flew out of their bedroom looking around frantically like a crazy person.

"Ben, what's going on?" she asked him.

He looked towards her voice and breathed in a sigh of relief. "I thought something had happened to you when I woke up and you weren't in bed."

She smiled. "I'm obviously fine, sweetie. I made some pancakes if you're hungry."

She had fixed a stack of eight on a serving plate. When she went to put the next one on the stack they were all gone. She looked at Ben and he had the whole stack on a plate and was wolfing them down.

Becca smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Ben looked up at her. "What?" he said with his mouth full.

She just shakes her head and finishes making the pancakes. Becca quickly takes two and puts them on her plate before Ben grabs the rest and finishes them off.

Suddenly, when Ben finishes, he announces, "I'm going to get in the shower."

"Okay," Becca says distractedly, meanwhile thinking, "perfect. I'll run over to Grace and Jace's and see if they want help planning the wedding."

Before Ben leaves, he says, "Oh, and I'll be listening the whole time I'm in there and I had better not hear that door open. I don't want you to bother them."

He gave her a stern look and she huffed then sat on a chair, trying to figure out an escape plan.

* * *

><p>The next morning Grace woke up with Jace, as usual. She was just about to get up as he rolled over and hugged his warm arms tightly around her.<p>

Grace looks over at the alarm clock. "Jace, it's nine o clock"

"Yeah," he answered her groggily, his breath fluttering her hair.

"We need to get up," she told him insistently.

"Who says?" he responds, an idle smile playing on his lips.

She throws up her hands. "Gee. I don't know. The entire world?"

"Screw them, I'm on vacation."

Grace drums her fingertips on the satin sheet separating her thigh from the tropical, morning breeze. The large windows were open and she could see the sea from their window. It was unpopulated, and perfect. Grace sighed. "You know, Becca will probably be over here any minute with a million questions about last night."

At that, Jace's eyes popped open. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah. I suggest you...you know."

"Dispose of the evidence?" Jace finishes, wild-eyed.

She nods. "That and get a shower."

He leaps off the bed. "I'm on it."

Grace is about to get up, too when Jace pops his back in from the bathroom. "Oh, and if anyone asks, I was never here."

Grace was about to correct him in multiple ways when she decided to just let it slide. "Okay. Just hurry!"

She hears him jump into the shower and immediately turn on the water.

Grace then gets up to look at her hair in the mirror.

It is absolutely tousled. She blushes, thinking of the previous night and how it got that way. Grace inwardly groans and puts the clothes that she had on the previous night back on, practically going on an Easter egg hunt to find them scattered about the bedroom.

Grace spritzes herself with perfume and combs out the mass of waves as much as she possibly can before she enters the humidity and it actually consumes her head.

She wished she had dehumidifier. "Horrible," she says out loud, studying herself intently. Although her skin was aglow, eyes bright, everything else was a mess.

By now Jace is out of the shower and walks into the bedroom to get clothes of his own. "Was it really that bad?"

"What?" she asks him, not understanding his random question.

"Last night," he says lightly.

Grace laughs, and then shuts her mouth at seeing Jace's expression. "No! No, it was...wonderful. Um, I was talking about my hair. You kind of destroyed it."

"Me?" He points to his chest adorably.

"Yes, you," she says.

* * *

><p>Finally, after humming an extremely long song Becca didn't recognize while waiting for Ben to get done in the shower, he got out and she bounced up and down, waiting for him to come out and say that they could go to their friends' bungalow. Thirty painfully long seconds later he came out.<p>

"Ben," she whined. "Why aren't you dressed? We have to go!"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "We aren't going yet."

"Well obviously! You aren't...dressed," Becca trails off, her eyes going to Ben's strong, bare stomach, glistening from the shower's mist. A towel hung low on his waist.

"Um, Ben? Go put on some clothes."

"No. I'm more comfortable this way."

"Well I'm more uncomfortable."

Ben sighs and goes back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"Well, your hair is kind of...fun—never realized how much before." He makes the sound of a cat purr and waggles his eyebrows.<p>

"Yeah, well, you're lucky that I got the tousled look to go down, or else there would be two times more questions from Becca."

Jace shudders at the thought and walks into the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cereal. Grace follows and goes outside to dispose of their half-eaten dinners from the night before.

She sees Becca and Ben both walking towards her.

Becca excitedly jumps up and down waving while Ben rolls his eyes at her smiling. "Hey, Grace!"

"Hey, you guys. Come on in," Grace invites. She walks inside and Jace freezes while standing by their bedroom door that is wide open, exposing the bed still unmade and dirty.

She widens her eyes at him and he shuts it with his foot. Grace exhales the breath she was holding and turned towards her friends. "So, you guys hungry?"

"No," Becca says.

At the same time Ben answers, "Yes."

"Ben you just ate like twelve pancakes!" Becca slapped his arm.

"What? I told you before, I am a growing boy."

"But twelve? That's got to be a record."

Jace comes over to pat Ben on the back, "So, how'd it go? You two didn't have cover wars, did you?"

Ben's eyes widen and he shakes his head at him.

Becca looks at Ben, her eyes wide. "Did you tell them we were doing something? Because if you did I am kicking your ass for lying."

"Calm down. You two look like you've witnessed a murder."

Ben does a face-palm, and Becca glares at him.

"What'd you think I meant?" Jace asks.

Becca just gives him a look. "What you and Grace did last night."

Jace's mouth drops open and Grace reddens.

"What are you guys talking about? We didn't do anything. We just ate dinner and went to bed," Grace lies.

"Grace, I'm not stupid," Becca says flatly.

"Seriously," Grace says. She gives Jace a 'she's going to pound us with questions now' look.

Becca shakes her head. "Not buying it."

"Love," Ben sighs. "Leave them alone."

"Yeah, listen to your boy toy," Jace teases her.

Ben blushes deeply, looking uncomfortable.

"He's not my boy toy. We haven't even done anything."

"What did you tell him, Ben?" she asks, turning to him.

"Nothing! You know how he is, always vulgar and creative with the truth."

"Well he obviously heard something." Becca crossed her arms in front of her and fixed a stare on Ben.

"Honestly I didn't say anything!"

"He didn't say anything. This is all a misunderstanding. Jace and I both know that you two are not doing anything. He just likes to mess with your minds," Grace told them.

Jace is smirking while putting away the milk.

"Well then that's cruel," she says, glaring at Jace's back.

"Hey, you should be used to it by now," he says.

"Don't quote me, Herondale," Becca snarls.

"Okay! How about we all separate? Becca with me and Jace, you go with Ben. Okay?"

"Good. I need some time away from one them or someone will die," Becca sneers. She glares at them both, not sure why she's mad at Ben.

The girls sit on the deck chairs and Jace and Ben finally go check out the club surf shop.


	14. Bodacious Body

The girls decide to sit down together on a pair of comfortable patio chairs outside of Grace and Jace's bungalow with a pot of tea. "So...how does it feel to be engaged?" Becca asked her after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Fantastic," Grace answered dreamily. "I still can't believe he asked me. I am so happy."

"Good because I'm happy for you."

Grace looks at Becca, her head chin resting on her hand propped up on one elbow. "You know you're going to be the maid of honor, right?"

She smiles. "I thought so, but I'm trying not to push anything. Ben told me not to."

"It's okay. I'm letting you pick out your own dress to wear, anyway. Just as long as it's not white," she added, grinning.

Becca laughs wistfully, and then coughs.

"So, what did you want to ask me? You seem anxious," Grace tells her.

Becca fiddles with her skirt. "Well, um, how are you going to be planning the wedding?"

Grace's eyes widen. "Oh, gosh I have completely forgotten with the surprise of it all. I don't know. I want it to be a normal sized wedding, the traditional Shadowhunter marriage. We'll probably have it in Alicante."

"Oh? That's nice."

Grace smiles slightly. "That's not what you wanted to ask."

"Yes it was," Becca says, not making eye contact.

"Uh-huh."

"It was." She looks out at the sea, trying to focus on anything but Grace.

Grace finally says bluntly. "You want to know how it was."

Becca chokes on her tea and her eyes widen. A blush was already starting to appear on her cheeks. "What? No! Well, yes, but….crap." She drops her head into her hands.

Grace laughs. "It's fine." She takes a deep breath, and thinks. "So, let's see. Over all, it was perfect." She glances at Becca slyly. "And Jace is a better kisser."

"Okay TMI, thank you. 'It was perfect' was plenty of information."

Grace laughs, too happy by the vibrancy of the morning to let something like embarrassment ruin her day from the night before. "Okay, just saying, since you wanted to know."

"So...are you, like...going to hire a wedding planner?" she asked quietly, looking at the floor.

"No, I hadn't thought of that," she said, even though she had lying in in bed that morning. "Would you like the job?"

Becca shoots out of her chair and jumps up and down, clapping her hands. "Oh, please let me? Please, please, please, please?"

Grace sighed. "Now you're acting normal. Thank, God. Yes, of course you can. I thought you were acting weird because Jace and I..." she trailed off, not wanting to make Becca uncomfortable.

Becca held up a hand, "No, I figured that would happen eventually. I was actually surprised it hadn't yet." She sat back down and took a sip of tea.

Grace slid the charm on her necklace back and forth along the chain. "Really, why's that? I mean, Jace was pretty set in his choice."

"Because I know he loves you. I could tell by the way he looks at you and treats you and protects you even though he knows you can take care of yourself."

Grace smiles to herself. "I think I get that he loved me even though he never wanted to, you know. I was just so stupid. I understand why he couldn't now, and why he always seemed to be fighting himself from giving in."

"Why's that?"

"Because if he did before we were officially bound together, it would be considered a disgrace towards himself and me in the process. He did it because of the Clave, and because of his father. Stephen would never agree to sex before marriage. Their family is too honorable. Also, Jace has angelic blood. It could have killed him. It made sense after he asked to marry me. It was like this weight was lifted off of him."

"Oh. So in a way, Philip was right?" She added another question, "And Jace was worried about subjecting you to the consequences?"

"Yes, he actually was."

Becca sighed. "That's so sweet. As much as I pick on him, he's a great guy. No other guy would I condone you marrying."

"It was actually kind of shocking last night to me because of how urgent he was. I figured he would still be uncomfortable. And thank you for your blessing, by the way."

"Well it doesn't really matter what I think, but I like Jace for you…and again, TMI."

"Sorry! It's kind of hard to beat around the bush."

"It's okay," Becca told her even though she was secretly uncomfortable every time Grace mentioned it. "So, what kind of dress do you want?"

"White, lace, and I want it to have a pretty frame to it when I put on the veil. Like a ball gown."

"Oh, you'll look great! Well, you always look great but..."

Grace looks alarmed. "But what?"

"You'll look really, really great," she finishes, grinning at her.

"Thank you," Grace sniffles, starting to cry.

Becca frowns instantly, concerned, and places a hand on Grace's shoulder. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I am just so happy here, in this beautiful place with friends, the man I've always loved, and now I'm engaged to him." She laughs. "Me! Can you believe I'm engaged?"

Becca smiles. "I always knew you would be. But honestly, I'm surprised it took him so long to pop the question."

Grace rolls her eyes and dabs at the corners with a cloth napkin, careful of her mascara. "He has to have everything perfect. And it was. I wouldn't want it any differently."

"Well maybe if I hadn't burst through the door after he asked you."

"Oh, that." She waves a hand in the air dismissively. "Yeah, that was kind of...unexpected. But it all worked out."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I heard you scream and thought something was wrong," Becca admitted.

"Becca, if something was wrong either I would kill it or Jace would. No worries."

Becca looks neglected. "You're my best friend! I know you can handle things, but you shouldn't have to alone."

"And that's why I have Jace."

She sniffs. "Yes, you won't need me anymore."

Grace places a hand on hers. "I will always need you." Then she removes it. "Gosh, so dramatic."

"You can't marry him then."

"Hey!"

Becca laughs at her reaction. "I was simply leading up to a joke. I was just kidding. You know you couldn't live without me."

"Right you are." Grace hugs her. "Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome. But, um, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Grace asked, pulling out of the hug.

"Do you think that Ben really likes me?"

"Well, duh. If you would stop being paranoid, stuff will happen. And he—" Grace clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Well I was just wondering. He just seems kind of distant lately and—" she narrowed her eyes at Grace. "He what?"

Grace answers nonchalant and rushed. "Distant? Huh. I'll have to talk to him later for you. And I was going to say that he really likes your pancakes." Meanwhile, Grace grabs her purse and bolts for the door before Becca can question her any further. "Enjoy the tea!" she calls just before the door shuts.

She looks after Grace's retreating figure strangely, curious about her sudden change of behavior. "He really likes my pancakes?" she says to herself with a confused expression.

"Want a tequila?" Jace asks Ben, hoping to smooth out the ripples of tension and awkwardness in the air.

Ben shrugs. "Why not? It's six o' clock somewhere."

Jace rubs his palms together anxiously. "Hell yes. That's what I'm talking about."

The bartender slides then their beverages following Jace's request.

"Good night?" Ben asks him, taking a nonchalant sip and glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

Jace coughs on his drink. "What?"

"Did you have a good night? I'm not stupid."

Jace looks horrified.

Ben rolls his eyes. "I'm not asking for details. I'm not a girl." He swirls around the drink in his glass.

Jace shrugs. "If you did I would have to kill you afterward, anyway."

"Dude, I'm not going ask for details. I don't want to know the details—EVER."

Jace looks him up and down, wondering if he could be trusted. "Fine," he says finally. "What do you want to know? What shade the pillow cases were? Or how about the wine?"

"Whatever, dude," Ben says tiredly.

He seemed annoyed to Jace, or jealous; either way, something was bothering him, and he was about to find out.

"Why do you insist on picking on Becca?"

The bomb drops.

"Picking on her when?" Jace asked him.

Ben set down his drink with a mix of controlled anger and frustration. "I don't know, all the time?"

"We're friends. It's what we do. She does the same exact thing to me, so…" He shrugs.

"Yeah, but you humiliated her this morning. You know, she's really sensitive in that area. That was the first time we ever spent the night together."

"Oh so that's it." He sets down his glass. "I didn't mean it personally. I knew that you guys would never...do that." He sees Ben's face, and adds, "At least, not on your first night together."

Ben shrugs. "Yeah, I don't see that happening for a long time, though."

Jace doesn't ask why, but feels he should confide in Ben concerning the happenings of his night since Ben wouldn't get the chance to have something like it for a while. "Since you're practically my best friend, I'll tell you what happened last night. You know…if you want." He looks straight ahead at the bottles lining the bar instead of at Ben.

Ben has a hint of a smile on his lips. "I just was wondering if you had a good night. Yes or no will suffice."

Jace can't help but grin. "Yes—on a jacked up level of yes."

"Okay, that's good enough for me," Ben says than slaps Jace on the shoulder. "Congrats, man."

"Congrats?" Jace repeats.

Ben elongates it, forgetting that he isn't as familiar with common slang. "Congratulations?"

Jace gives him a look. "I know what it means I'm just wondering why you're saying that."

Ben grins. "You finally got your woman—in two ways."

"Yeah, thank God. Now I don't have to worry about any more psycho guys from parallel dimensions coming to steal her away. But I always had her."

Ben smiles and holds his glass to toast with Jace. "True. Very true."

Their tequila glasses clink together and they simultaneously take a swig.

When Jace lowers his he says wittily, "She can't stand to be away from all this sexiness," he says, indicating himself.

Ben rolls his eyes. "She certainly isn't getting someone that's not confident."

"Who said I'm confident?" Jace asks. "This is just me being myself."

"Jace," Ben says, "no one has to say you are confident. Anyone could see it a mile away. Most people mistake if for cockiness."

"Poppycock," Jace says, trying to imitate Ben.

"Whatever you say; and for the record, I don't say poppycock. That, my man, is just not cool. Or what did you call us? Fly?"

Jace nods seriously, and then repeats the word as if it had religious meaning. "Fly."

Ben doesn't comment. Jace takes that as his opportunity to explain. "It means you're the next level of cool."

"Oh. Nice. We are very fly," he agrees.

Suddenly, Grace blurts into the bar, almost sending a try flying, and runs straight into the guys.

"Yes we are," Jace says, about to make another toast when he turns toward Ben and sees Grace.

"What's wrong?" Jace asks her immediately, seeing that she was frantic.

Ben searches for a compliment to pay, coming up dry. "You look...um..."

She's out of breath. "Nothing...is...wrong."

Finally, Ben gives up and tells the truth: "Upset?"

"No, not upset. I had to get away from Becca before she made me spill what you told me last night," she tells him.

"What?" Ben shouts in a panic.

Grace grabs Jace's drink in his hand and takes a swig. He frowned at his empty hand.

"She figured it out didn't she?" Ben asked her, his voice pitching. "Oh, God, she must hate me. I shouldn't have told you that I love her."

"No! At least, I don't think so. She thinks that you DON'T love her."

"I shouldn't have told ME that I love her," Ben continues to ramble, panicked. He stops and shakes his head, trying to somehow get himself un-drunk. "Wait what?" he asks, backtracking. "Why would she think that?"

Grace raises her hands. "I don't know! Sometimes even I can't understand what goes on in her head."

"No one can. She is a bit crazy a times," Ben admits.

"True dat."

They shoot Jace a glare.

"What? He's the one that said it!" Jace said, pointing at Ben accusingly.

Ben is still glaring. "No one asked for your input." He turned to Grace. "What did she say?"

Grace rolls her eyes and keeps Jace's drink to herself, taking dainty sips. "Well, first we were talking about the wedding, and then she asked me if I thought that you loved her."

Jace tries to grab for the drink, but she side-steps him. He gets an annoyed look on his face.

"Why would she think I didn't?"

Grace waves her hand in a gesture of I-don't-know. "Maybe she just feels uncomfortable spending and sharing so much with you."

"But why?" He bangs a hand on the bamboo table. "That's what I want to know. I do everything I can to make her feel special. Is that all she said?"

Grace shrugs. "Apparently you've been distant lately as well."

"Distant? What does she mean by—Okay, I understand."

"What?" Grace asks, gripping the drink from the suspense. Ben rubs his neck and Jace tries for the drink again, but she swats him away. "What is it?"

"Well, I've known for a while that Jace was going propose and it made me think I should have the guts to tell her how I feel as well." Ben gets embarrassed. "So you know that song she likes so much?"

."Yeah," Grace answers. "How in the World it's titled."

"Yeah, so I've been learning how to play it on the guitar and I'm planning on playing it for her but I've had to practice a lot lately."

"You want some help with that? Since, you know, I'm like, awesome at musical stuff, from what you've told me."

Grace scoffs. "Since when?"

"Like, always," Jace responds, he grabs Ben's tequila and takes a swig.

"Hey!" Ben yells.

Grace looks at Ben sadly. "Here, Ben, you can have some of mine," she says, handing to him, feeling bad.

"Wha—" Jace says, watching the trade. "You wouldn't give me any! Anyway, it's MY drink."

"Not anymore," she says to him. "Don't you remember the rule? What's mine is mine. What's yours is mine, and what's ours is mine."

"That's a new theory."

"No, it's a law."

"What law? That's not a law."

"I say it is."

Jace sighs, broken down. He pinches the bridge of his nose from a sudden headache. "Whatever." He grabs for her tequila one last time, succeeds, and jogs to the other end of the room.

Ben is paying no mind to their bickering. "I better finish learning that song and fast."

"Yeah, I'd say so," Grace responded.

Ben takes another sip of Grace's drink then hands it back to her. "Do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep Becca busy today, okay?"

Grace nods her understanding. "That should be pretty easy. We're going water skiing."

"Aliright, thanks Grace." He squeezes her arm. "I'm going to go ahead and send her over here. See you later," he says, waving over his shoulder, already walking away.

"Bye! Oh, and Ben?"

He turns. "Yes?"

"Make sure to let it come from the soul. That's what girls like." She quickly adds, "And don't get nervous. Pretend you're singing in the shower."

Ben smiles. "Thank you, Grace. Goodbye."

She waves. Jace waves as well, then comes back over to Grace, handing her the empty tequila glass.

Grace raises an eyebrow at him, then sets it down on the counter, pulling him along with her by the shirt front.

"Hey!"

"We need to distract Becca today," she tells him, on a mission.

"Great. I thought today was going to be our day," he said. "Why do we have to babysit?"

"Because Ben is a good friend and he needs us," Grace replied.

"Fine," Jace says, still being dragged along. "What are we doing? Please tell me we aren't shopping. I can NOT stand that much estrogen by myself."

"No, we're water skiing," she tells him with a devilish smile.

Jace's eyes light up and he grins as well. "Excellent."

Grace smiles at him. "I thought you would think so." Since he had stopped resisting, she drops his shirt and he laces his fingers though hers as they walk back to the bungalow to get Becca.

She meets them halfway, already having spoken briefly with Ben. "Hey guys! Was Ben acting okay? He said he had a headache and wasn't going to go waterskiing with us."

Jace looks confused. "He was just fine when he was telling us his—" Grace purposefully steps on his foot "—his idea for the...weekend! Yeah! He said we should...barbeque."

Grace face-palms and Becca gives Jace a weird look. "Ben hates barbeque. He must be sick. I should go check on him." She turns to leave.

"No! Don't he's fine; just a bad headache," Grace says. "He'll probably go lie down for a while and catch up with us later."

"Come on," Jace says, taking Becca's hand in his left. "We better go rent ourselves a place so we can water ski." He turns to leave in the direction of the rental office by the beach.

A blonde surfer sees the three approach and stops waxing a surf board to greet them. "Sup people! What can I help you with on this fine summer day?" His voice is overly laid-back and cowabunga-like.

"We would like to rent a boat to take us out jet skiing," Jace tells him. "There's going to be three of us."

Surf dude gets Jace to sign a waiver explain that the rental company is not responsible for any injuries and/or damage. Jace signatures the rental slip and agrees to the terms.

Once he is finished, the surf dude beams. "Righteous. Kay, so, I've got changing rooms in the back of the tiki hut for you all to change into yours suits. After that, meet me on the dock to get you geared up."

They do as told meet him back on the dock.

"Alright dude and dudettes, I'm going to drive the boat while you all are going to be water skiing. Has any of you done this before?"

They shake their heads.

"No problem. It's easy. Hips in, shoulders back, knees loose. Got that?" The surf dude demonstrates. "And make sure to hold onto the handle the entire time, because if you don't, WIPE OUT, man. Not pretty."

"How do we get on them?" Jace asks, eyeing the skis uncertainly.

Surf dude claps his hands together and points at Jace as if he had just reminded him of something he had forgotten to do. "Good question! Kay, so, you want to kneel down on your skis with your coconuts touching your feet."

Jace just blinks, not understanding.

"One more thing," surf dude says, "do not, and I repeat, do not stand up instantly when I take off. That's a beginner's mistake."

Jace holds up a hand, "Um, question—coconuts?"

"Oh, right," he slaps a hand to his forehead. "You're not locals. I mean your butt, dude."

"Oh."

"As I was saying dude and dudettes—do not stand up until you're comfortably in the water. Stay crouched until then. When you feel ready, you can stand, but don't do it by pulling yourself up by the handle, just stand upright, and lean back. That'll keep you from pitching forward, got it?"

"Got it," Grace says.

"This doesn't sound very safe for girls," Jace says to himself.

Grace gives him a look. "I'm holding you to that challenge."

"What? I just mean that I don't want you both to get hurt."

Grace waves him off. "I will be fine."

"So will I," Becca adds. "Cat like grace and all."

"Sure. Just...be careful." He leans in close to the girls. "Anyway, this guy seems to have been on this island too long."

"He's a surfer Jace," Becca explains. "That's how they are."

All of a sudden the surfer dude comes over to Jace and sniffs his hair.

Jace freezes.

"Duuuuude. What do you use to make your golden locks so bodacious?" surfer dude asks him.

Jace looks at Grace and mouths, "I am going to hurt him."

"Jace, that's a compliment!" Becca tells him, delighted. "He means your hair looks good."

Surfer dude elbows him. "C'mon man. Let a fellow dude in on the secret."

"Of course my hair looks good!" he yells to Becca. "I just don't like wackjobs invading my personal space."

"Jace!" Grace hisses. "You're hurting his feelings."

Surfer dude, who has dreaklocks, looks in at Jace with hopeful eyes. "Come on, man. Be my Yoda."

Jace looks appalled. "Be your what? Man, where is Ben when you need him." Then under his breath says, "At his comfy, surfer-free bungalow, trying to get in good with his woman—traitor."

Becca hears and slaps him on the arm. "Be nice."

Jace sighs, hoping if he gives in, they can finally get the day over with. "Okay. What do you want to know?" he asks the surfer dude.

The surfer dude gets excited and reaches for a pen hidden in his hair to take notes. "How do you get it to be so fluffy?"

"Well, I use a super turbo blow dryer, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The fluff is all in the hands, my oddball, friend," Jace says. "And it's a long process."

The girls look at each other and roll their eyes.

Becca whispers to Grace, "He is so high maintenance. How do you stand it?"

Grace drops her jaw. "Have you ever actually touched his hair? It's perfect; so sexy."

She blinks at Grace. "No, I have not touched your boyfriend's hair. Nor do I want to."

Jace takes surfer dude to the side, "Okay, so while you're in the shower you use this really expensive shampoo called Alterna White Truffle Luxury Shampoo." He continues, "It's like, 30 bucks a bottle, but is really the only thing that gives me the va-voom that I want."

Surfer dude is writing furiously.

"Next you use Redkin Mint Clean Conditioner to give you that fresh scalp smell," Jace says. "Then I use my blow dryer to fluff it up, but first, use a mousse. I recommend mousse by WEN. It's what celebrities use."

"We aren't going to get to ski are we?" Becca asks Grace, already knowing the answer.

"Eventually. It is a fascinating process, but a long one," Grace tells her.

"Or John Freida," Jace says as an afterthought.

"Well I'm not fascinated," Becca said, bored. "I am hearing Greek."

Grace shrugs. "You should come over tomorrow to watch him do it."

"Wouldn't he be kind of freaked out?"

"Why would he be freaked out? He likes it when people take interest in his talents."

"Sounds good. What time should I be over?"

"Well, he likes to sleep in, despite what I tell him, so...I don't know. How about eight? I can get him up," Grace says.

"Eight sounds good. I'll be there. I'll even bring coffee. Do you want Ben to come over and keep you company? He could fix us all breakfast" Becca suggested.

"That would be fantastic! I don't really drink too much coffee, but I like vanilla."

"Okay, coffee with vanilla cream?" Becca asks for approval.

Grace nods. "Perfect."


	15. Mission Distract Becca

Becca and Grace decided to go to Starbucks while Jace was still explaining his hair process to the surfer ten minutes later.

"Double Ristretto Venti Half-Soy Nonfat Decaf Organic Chocolate Brownie Iced Vanilla Double-Shot Gingerbread Frappuccino Extra Hot With Foam Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended, One Sweet'N Low and One Nutrasweet, and Ice," Becca told the cashier while Grace glanced around the room. She did a double take and saw Ben sitting there drinking a coffee.

"Hey, Becca order for me okay?" Grace said.

"Okay." Becca shook her head at her friend and told the cashier that she would have a vanilla coffee.

After leaving Becca to order, Grace bolted over to Ben's table and smacked him on the back of the head.

"You idiot!" she hissed at him. Ben looked up startled and rubbing the back of his head.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be entertaining Becca," Ben said. Grace started to say something when Ben's eyes widened. "Oh, crap! You don't often drink coffee do you? She's here isn't she?" He began looking around and spotted her at the counter.

"I am entertaining Becca! You are supposed to be holed up in your bungalow practicing that song," Grace exclaimed.

"I have been playing that same song over and over and I needed to stop for a bit. You guys are supposed to be waterskiing not getting The Double Ristretto Venti Half-Soy Nonfat Decaf Organic Chocolate Brownie Iced Vanilla Double-Shot Gingerbread Frappuccino Extra Hot With Foam Whipped Cream Upside Down Double Blended, One Sweet'N Low and One Nutrasweet, and Ice at Starbucks!" he said.

Grace glanced back at the counter where Becca was putting her debit card back in her wallet. She grabbed Ben by his t-shirt and dragged him out of the shop before Becca spotted them.

"It was her idea to come here when Jace got sidetracked and she and I became incredibly bored." Grace said, glaring at Ben.

"Well Un-sidetrack him and get her out of here. I haven't paid yet!" Ben exclaimed.

"Look, I'll pay for your drink. Just…get back to your bungalow and finish learning that song," Grace said shoving him toward the bungalow.

"Okay, okay, geez," Ben said. "I should be finished in about an hour," he called before sprinting out of there with Mai speed.

Grace blew out a breath of relief and turned, entering Starbucks once again to find Becca sitting at a table. Grace bypassed the table and went up to the counter.

"You know the guy that was sitting over there just a minute ago?" Grace asked, pointing at the chair Ben had vacated just minutes before. The guy gave her a weird look.

"Yeah…"

"I have to pay for his drink," Grace said reaching for her wallet. "How much?"

"Seven sixty nine," the guy said. Grace slapped a ten and 69 cents on the counter.

"Keep the change," she said, and walked to the table. She plopped down in the chair, something very uncharacteristic for Grace. Becca raised her eyebrows.

"You okay?" Becca asked.

"Oh. Yeah. Just paying for some random guy's drink," Grace fibbed.

"Why?" Becca asked, looking at her friend sideways. Grace bit back a smile. Her best friend was a lot more like a cat than she thought.

"Because I know him," Grace answered, hoping the conversation would change topics. No such luck.

"Then how is he random? And who is he?" she queried.

"He's random because…what are the odds of seeing him here in the Bahamas? Um, his name is Jake." Grace responded.

"Jake? I don't know a Jake," Becca said, twirling her cup.

"We had a fling," Grace answered. The responses were coming more quickly and easily.

"Oh? When?"

"A long time ago before Jace. It's not important," Grace said.

"Well what I want to know is why you paid for his drink. I wouldn't do that for an ex," Becca said, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, he and I are...we're...friends. Sort of," Grace said, wishing Becca would just drop it already.

"Really? Hm...So it was a mutual breakup?" Becca continued to question Grace.

"Sure."

"Well why didn't you tell me? You always tell me about guys you date."

"Because he wasn't that close to me."

"You know, that sure didn't sound convincing. He didn't threaten you did he?" Becca leaned forward with a worried look on her face.

"No! Of course not. He's not like that," Grace said, startled.

"I don't know. He wasn't that close? I told you about Matt. He wasn't that close." Becca looked at her dubiously.

"He and I just...know each other basically. Can we go to another topic please?" Grace pleaded.

"Sure. So do you like your coffee?"

"It's good. I love vanilla. If you put caramel in too, that would be awesome."

"Good, I'm glad."

"You seem suspicious," Grace accused. "I can just tell by your tone."

"Well, I am. You and Jace have been acting like you were hiding something. Then you start talking about Jake," Becca defended. To herself she thought, what is going on with everyone. I'M the crazy one. Well, Jace too, but still…

"I'm not hiding anything," Grace said, defensively. Becca studied her for a few seconds.

"You're lying," Becca stated. She sipped her drink.

"Am not! What? You think I'm cheating on Jace or something?" Grace instantly wished she could take the words back.

Becca's eyes widened and she choked on her drink. She coughed then her eyes flew back to Grace. "YOU'RE CHEATING ON JACE AGAIN?" Becca practically yelled. They got a few weird looks but everyone ignored the tourists.

"I'm NOT cheating on Jace! God, no," Grace stated vehemently. "I love him. Why would I do that?" Grace wouldn't meet Becca's eyes.

"You won't look me in the eye," Becca said.

"Because you're interrogating me like some kind of criminal. I AM NOT CHEATING ON JACE," Grace said, picking up her drink to leave.

"Well, that's good to know," came Jace's voice.

"Jace! Oh, thank the angel," Grace said. She pulled him out of the store by his shirt.

The guy behind the counter observed the lady who paid for the dude she pulled out by the shirt previously, pull yet another guy out by the shirt. He shook his head thinking, American women are strange.

"Whoa, watch the shirt!" Jace exclaims.

"Ugh! Finally! What did you do? Tell him the ENTIRE process?" Grace cried, exasperated.

"Yes. He needed it," Jace stated, matter-of-factly.

"Listen, Becca thinks I'm cheating on you," Grace said.

Jace raised his eyebrows. "Well, does she have reason to think that?" Jace asked.

"By the Angel, how many times do I have to say no?" Grace sighed throwing her arms up in the air.

"I didn't think so. Why would you want someone else when you have all this?" Jace said, gesturing to himself and waggling his eyebrows. Grace just looks at him dully.

"Anyway, she saw me paying for something and coming back without a drink in my hand," Grace said.

Jace waited for a beat. "And?"

"I told her it was for Jake," Grace said.

"Who the hell is Jake?" Jace asked, confused.

"Ben," Grace said.

Jace blinked. "Okay, you paid for Jake's drink that Ben was drinking?" Jace asked slowly, trying to comprehend it.

"No, Jake IS Ben," Grace explained.

Becca was in the shop listening in on the conversation. When she heard that Jake was Ben her mouth dropped open.

"You…and he…" Jace clenched his fists. Grace dragged him away from the building since there was a sudden crowd of people.

"It's not like that. I am not cheating on you with Ben, or anyone," Grace whispered.

In the shop Becca is only able to hear "cheating" and "Ben" over the crowd and tears start forming in her eyes.

"Then what's going on?" Jace asked, thoroughly confused.

"I'm trying to help him tell Becca how he feels. He's practicing a song for her." Grace said, oblivious to that fact that Becca had just ran out of the shop and down to the bar.

"Right. So, I see that's going...well," Jace said with an amused look on his face.

"Oh, shut up. It would have gone better if you hadn't started coaching a lesson on how to get good hair to some Reggae skiing instructor," Grace accused, darting a glare at her fiancé.

"Hey! He needed that. Anyway, did you get him out without being spotted?" Jace asked.

"Yeah, I think so. The only problem is that now she thinks I'm cheating on you. For the second time apparently," Grace replied, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Philip," Jace recalled, nodding his head.

"I did not cheat on you with him! Gosh."

"Sure, Babe. Listen, I promise to help in any way I can. I owe Ben. He helped me propose to you," Jace told her.

"Really?"

"Yes. Slightly."

"Huh. Well, this is going to be challenging. For us," Grace said, pointing between the two of them.

"Why's that?" Jace asked, taking her hand in his.

"Because we have to pretend to hate each other, and I have to pretend to be cheating on you with Jake."

"Oh. Right. This...us...means we can't be together...like this?" Jace asked, heart dropping, looking down at their clasped hands.

"Temporarily."

Jace sighs and runs a hand through his hair, then drops it, looking at her. "The things you'll do for love."

Grace smiles and lets him kiss her lightly before they separate.

She re-entered the Starbucks building with frowns on their faces expecting Becca to be there but discover that she's gone.

"Huh. I wonder where she went," Grace said, scanning the room. She walked to Ben and Becca's bungalow and knocked on the door, expecting Ben to open it, which he did.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be keeping Becca busy," Ben said, carefully glancing around outside for any sign of Becca.

"I was, but she left. Is she here?" Grace asked, inventing herself in

"No, thank God, or she would see this," Ben said, sweeping his arm around the living room.

Sheets off music and his guitar and case were strewn about the room.

"Oh…so how's it coming?" Grace asked.

"It's almost done; just the last chorus and finishing up," Ben said, running a hand through his hair.

"Good. Need any help?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, finding Becca so she doesn't burst in unexpectedly. I wouldn't mind if Jace would come and make sure everything is perfect and help me set up for the dinner," Ben said.

"I can call him," Grace said, pulling out her cell phone. She had a short conversation with Jace, who promised to be there shortly.

"So, how about we practice?" Grace asked Ben.

"Sure," he said, shrugging.

Grace walks over and picks up the guitar, tests it to see if it's tuned properly, then picks up a sheet of music.

"So the last chorus, huh?" Grace glanced up at him.

"Yeah I just have to memorize that and I'm done," Ben said.

She tests it out herself: "How in the world did I find someone like you? Why in the world after I'll we've been through? If you weren't with me here right now, then I don't know what I would do. In all of the world, I found my heart in you."

"You're pretty good. You want to sing it for me?" he laughs and takes the guitar.

"No can do lover-boy. This is your song. Show me how you sing those last few lines," Grace instructs.

"This is the end of the life we once knew, how in the world did I live without you? This is the birth of a love so true, how in the world did I live without you? How in the world did I find someone like you? Why in the world after all that we've been through? If you weren't here with me right now, then I don't know what I'd do. In all of the world, I found my heart in you."

"And that's it. I just have to get it so that I don't have to look at the sheet music to play it," Ben told her.

"Are you nervous?" Grace asked, smiling.

"Well, I'm telling the girl I love that I love her so yeah just a little bit," Ben said.

"Don't be. Just picture you're singing in the shower. Oh. But don't picture her there. That would make it worse," Grace said, nodding.

"Thank you, Grace," he deadpans. "That is so helpful."

"Sorry." She blushes. "It's just, you're a guy—kind of inevitable. By the way, you're holding the guitar wrong, that's what is making you accidentally play a G instead."

"Oh, I am?" Ben looked down at the guitar.

Grace walked over and adjusted his hands, "Yeah. So, you put your hand on the bridge like this, then push down on this string with your finger really hard, careful, it kind of cuts into your skin until you get used to it. Then strum."

Ben plays and it sounds perfect. "Hey thanks."

Grace smiles. "No problem."

Just then Jace comes in, not liking the picture he sees.

"What's going on?" he asks suspiciously.

"Grace just showed me where to place my hands," Ben said, practicing the last part of the song.

"That better not be on her ass," Jace said, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow intimidatingly.

Ben's eyes go wide. "Oh no! Hell, no! I meant for the guitar. I was holding it wrong."

"He was. We weren't doing anything. You're so paranoid," Grace said, rolling her eyes.

"I promise we weren't. Hey how'd you guys lose Becca anyway?"

"Long story," Grace said.

"Well give me a short version."

Grace recounted everything that had happened since the drink fiasco and Ben interrupted, "Wait...what did you say about cheating?" Ben asked, his face paling.

"We have to pretend to be mad at each other when she's around because she thinks Grace is cheating on me," Jace said.

Grace nods. "And that I used to be dating some guy I came up with a name for, Jake. But the whole time I was creative with the truth. I told her that I bought his, your, drink because you were a friend of mine."

Ben sighed and began pacing, "You forgot something very important."

"Forgot what? I told Jace everything, didn't I?" Grace asked, looking to Jace for conformation.

"Yeah, you did," Jace said.

"That's the problem, Grace! She's Mai, but her hearing is still developing! She could hear you. She probably thinks I'm cheating on her."

"Oh my God. Why would she eavesdrop?" Grace covered her mouth with her hand, then removed it and said, "More importantly, why would she think that you're cheating on her with her best friend?"

"I don't know. She probably felt like no one was telling her anything so she decided to listen and figure out what was going on," Ben said. He ran his hand over his face, groaning.

"Please. You two? Oh, come on," Jace scoffed. "You don't even go together."

"She may not think I'm cheating with Grace," Ben said.

"Well why would you be? It's ludicrous!" Grace said.

"Well, you are hot," Jace offered.

"Shut up, Jace," Grace snapped. Jace backed away and investigated the cabinets for a snack.

"I don't know why. You know how she gets," Ben said. Grace and Ben were both pacing now.

"Oh. Oh this is so bad," Grace said.

"You think? Can you guys go find her? I need to fix the place up so I fix my relationship," Ben said, giving them looks.

"I can find her," Jace offered, but Grace stopped him.

"No. I need to," Grace said.

"Then please go!" Ben said.

Grace grabbed her purse and paused at the door. "Ben? Jace? Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." Then she was off.

* * *

><p>"I want another margarita pleeeaase," a drunken Becca said to the bartender. Her request was quickly filled. "Thank you!"<p>

Grace saw her at the bar, totally wasted, and went to sit next to her on a stool.

"Oh hellllllooooooo, Gracie!" Becca greeted her excitedly.

"Hey."

Becca laughs and hiccups. "You are a terrible best friend, you didn't tell me my boyfriend was cheating on me. I had to eavesdrop to find out what was going on. Oh! I wasn't going to tell you that. Please don't tell you that I said that."

"Becca, Ben and I are not che—" Becca puts her finger to Grace's lips and makes a shushing sound. Grace stares at her.

"I know you aren't cheating on Jace, Gracie. Buuuuuut now I know that Ben is cheating on me." Another hiccup. Becca downs the rest of her Margarita and waves for another. "That British bastard," she adds bitterly.

The Bartender tries to pass one to her. It slides down the bar, but without looking at it, Grace stops it from going to Becca.

"Hey! Give my me magairta!" Becca completely screws up her words and pronunciations in anger.

"No."

"Grace. Give. It."

"NO. I am not giving this to you. I am taking it—just like I took your boyfriend," Grace said, hating what she had to do.

"What do you mean? You said you lied about Jake who was Ben," Becca said, squinting at her friend.

"I did. Ben is now mine."

"What…(hiccup)…about Jace?" Becca asked, getting worked up.

"He's mine too," Grace said, discreetly sliding the margarita away.

"And they are okay with sharing?" Becca asked, her anger gone temporarily due to incredulity.

"Oh, they don't know that they're sharing. I just haven't decided who does it better yet," she stated.

"YOU DID IT WITH MY BOYFRIEND?" Becca yelled.

"That's right. He actually kept begging for me to go on. Did you know that he tastes like cotton candy?" Grace asked, backing away slowly.

Becca gets off of the stool, staggering a bit. "You little..."

"I think he was actually GLAD because it's not like he's getting any from you," Grace said.

"You know why! I don't move that fast. I'm not a slut!" Becca shouted, wobbling.

"Too bad—he was a nice ride." Grace shrugged.

Becca lunged forward swiping at Grace with her claws.

Grace turned and ran toward the bungalow. To herself she thinks, I hope she doesn't remember any of this in the morning.

"I'm gonna kill you Grace!" Becca yelled, slowly regaining her balance.

"Too late—I already died from our time together. Did you know that when he's really ecstatic he can speak French?" Grace provoked.

Becca screams and sprints full speed at Grace.

Oh, God. You two better be done, Grace thinks, running at top speed to the bungalow.

Becca trips, giving Grace a few extra seconds between them.

Finally, Grace reached the bungalow and knocked rapidly. Ben opened the door with Jace behind him.

"You are so dead, Grace Willow!" they heard Becca scream, and saw her hurtling toward them.


	16. Lyrics and Pancakes

"Oh. I see you've found her," Jace says.

Grace stumbles forward and pushes them aside. "Let me through!"

Becca runs at Grace and launches herself at her, accidentally tackling Jace.

Jace oofs. "Okay, now you are officially crazy," he says to Becca on top of him.

She smacks him, clearly pissed off. "Shut up. We're in the same boat. Our significant others have been doing it together."

"WHAT?"

Grace does a face-palm. "Shit."

"Yeah," Becca confirms again. "Grace told me all about it."

Jace looks over Becca at Grace. "WHAT?" he repeats just as shocked.

Becca whirls on Ben. Her eyes narrowed, trying to prevent tears she says, "How could you? I told you why I couldn't yet, so you go to my best friend. You are shit—the lowest of the low."

Becca then pulls herself up, offering Jace her hand. He lets her. "Okay, someone better start talking or Ben will get his head ripped off in ten seconds."

"Why wait?" Becca spats. "I'll gladly help." She moves toward him, but Jace grabs her elbow.

"Because there is other stuff going on that you need to hear about," he tells her, answering her question.

"Jace we're not really. REMEMBER?" Grace says pointedly.

"Remember what?" He pauses to think and his eyes go wise with revelation. "Oh! Yeah. Okay, it's all good."

Grace rolls her eyes.

Becca looks disgusted in him. "You too? You're all just sick."

Jace rocks back on his heels, his hands in his pockets. "Yep. I am; so very sick. So you know what? I think I'll just take Grace and go." He grabs her hand and they're about to leave when Grace stops him, feeling guilty.

"We have to fix this," she says.

"We just screwed up everything."

Grace takes a deep breath, and then looks to Becca. "Ben and I aren't really doing anything. In fact, we've never even come close."

Even though Jace already knew this, he was relieved. "Thank Raziel."

"And why should I listen to you?" Becca asked her former best friend venomously. She doesn't take her eyes off of Ben, waiting for a moment to pounce.

"Because everything I just said fifteen minutes ago was a gigantic lie to get you back here," Grace said.

"How can I trust you? You've been lying so much lately."

"For a good reason," Grace says. She walks over and grabs Ben's guitar to hand to him.

Ben takes the guitar shyly. "I've been learning your favorite song to play and sing for you…" he trails off, seeing Becca's face.

She collapsed on the couch, completely exhausted. "You know what? I don't care. I'm tired." And she falls asleep, out instantly like a light.

Ben looks heart broken.

"Is she...asleep?" Jace asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Ben answered solemnly.

"Well that sucks," Jace says after a few more seconds of staring at Becca. "I just made pork chops."

More silence, then, "I didn't get to sing to her..."

"I didn't get to eat the pork chops..." Jace said, heartbroken and disappointed.

Grace pats Ben on the back. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yeah, if she doesn't wake up and kill me first." He glares at Grace.

"Hey! I did my best. She wasn't going to come willingly, so I had to give her a reason."

"You couldn't have just gotten her passed out from drinking too much then carried her home?" Jace asked.

"True," Grace said, "but I didn't want her to have to throwing up constantly. Or end up in a coma from intoxication."

"What did you say to her anyway?"

"You don't want to know." Grace winced.

"That bad, huh?" Jace asks, putting an arm around her.

She nods. "It was...cruel."

"And you're sure it didn't happen..." Jace asks for self-assurance one more time.

"NO," Grace and Ben say harmoniously.

"Gee let me think, where was I last night?" Grace asked.

"With me," Jace said.

"And?"

Jace looked ashamed. "Not with Ben."

"There ya go."

"So...what are we gonna do now?" he asks.

"We are going to go home after helping Ben clean up. Then we are going to enjoy the rest of our vacation," Grace says.

"Don't leave me alone!" Ben begs. "If she wakes up she'll kill me! Can't you stay here tonight, Grace?"

Jace gives Ben a look. "Honestly?"

Ben rolls his eyes. "Dude, I would go to your bungalow."

Grace looks scared. "If I stay then she'll kill me!"

"Jace, you're the only one she isn't mad at. You could stay in the other room," Grace said.

"No!" Jace shouted, shocked that she would even offer that idea.

"Yeah, Jace is right. If she wakes up and you and I are in the other bungalow that will not help our situation one bit."

"If Jace stays here, I can stay with him," Grace says.

Ben shrugs. "That works for me."

They look at Jace. He is clearly not happy about the idea. Miserably he says, "This vacation sucks." He sighs. "Let me go get my pillow."

Becca wakes up the couch and tries to remember what happened to make her pass out without dragging herself to bed before crashing. She gets up, and her head starts pounding.

She goes into her room to get Ibuprofen out of the bathroom cupboard and finds Jace and Grace curled up together with Ben on the couch. Just then, everything comes back to her and her eyes narrow.

Ben stirs and blinks his eyes sleepily until he sees Becca awake, glaring at him. "OH CRAP!"

Jace, startled at Ben's exclamation, falls off the bed. Laying there on the ground he says to the ceiling, "Oh, I forgot. I'm still in hell."

Grace then wakes up realizing that there's no warmth next to her anymore. "Jace?" She feels the spot on the bed next to her. "Where'd you go?"

"On the floor," he says, "back to hell."

She sits up and rubs her eyes. Then she sees Becca. Her eyes grow wide with panic and she jumps up and leaps to the safety of Ben and Jace.

Since she is now sober, Becca does not feel murderous toward them any longer, having time to sleep it off, but she is dead set on getting answers. "What the hell has been going on?" she asks, the pounding in her head from the hangover have been forgotten.

"Stay perfectly still," Jace says. "She can sense fear."

Grace is on the couch, clutching Ben's shirtfront hard in a fist. "Oh, God. She's going to kill us."

"So it's true?" Becca says, glaring at Grace's hand on Ben. "You are sleeping together?"

"No, it's not true! What makes you think that?" Grace asks then answers her own question by looking down at the action that Becca was currently seething over. She releases her hand, smoothing Ben's shirt back out.

Becca sighs. "I'm not going to kill anyone. I just want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God."

"Amen!" Jace says from the floor.

"Okay, Grace," Becca starts, perfectly calm. "Are you sleeping with Ben?"

"No! Well, not technically. Tonight I did, but again, not technically."

She raises her eyebrows.

"Really, we aren't. If you don't believe me, quiz Ben on something and have Jace confirm it," Grace tells her.

"Uh..." Becca suddenly looks uncomfortable, different from how casual Grace made her request. "I don't know if I want to do that."

Grace studies her nails much like her boyfriend. "Well, then take my word for it."

"I will."

"No, this should be interesting. I say do it," Jace comments. Taking it all as a big joke, knowing the truth, he asks Ben, "What color of mouth wash did she use in the morning?"

"Uh, green?" Ben guesses.

Jace buzzes him. "Wrong. It's cinnamon."

"No it's not. I use blue mint," Grace says, startled that he hadn't already known that.

Becca raises her eyebrows at Jace. "Who have you been kissing lately?"

"Oh no, you all aren't pegging this on me." He shoves the pillow over his head showing them the GAC emblem.

They laugh at him.

Finally, he removes it. "Okay, I have a better one—a question that I know the answer to."

"Oh boy," both girls say in unison.

"What is her birth mark in the shape of?"

Ben looks as if he had just been handed new information. "She has a birthmark?"

"Don't lie," Jace tells him.

"I don't know!" Ben panics. "Is it a zebra?"

Jace blinks, barely able to contain his smirk of laughter playing on his lips. "You did sleep with her!"

Ben looks like he's about to die. "No, I swear I didn't!"

Grace hits Jace over the head with her pillow. "Jace, stop antagonizing him. You know that's not what it is." To Ben she assures, "Don't worry, he's just being...Jace."

Ben sighs with relief.

Jace smirks, and then rises. "You all have fun with your lover's quarrel. I'm going to make breakfast."

Grace looks impressed. "You know how to make breakfast?"

"I watch Rachel Ray," he says.

"Really? I do too! Nothing is ever burnt. It's caramelized," Becca says, air-quoting the word 'caramelized'. She and Jace both laugh hysterically while Ben and Grace look at them like they're crazy.

"I know! I always had it wrong," Jace admits.

"And you notice how she sometimes will take tiny bites of stuff she makes and pretends that she likes it?"

Jace grins. "I have to commend her for it, though. I would have to take a huge bite before even knowing what it tastes like." He then leaves, but pops his head back in one more time with a sly smile plastered on his face. "Hey, Ben?"

"What?"

"What color thong?"

Grace hurtles the pillow across the room and it hits him square in the face. "Get out, Jace." He leaves, chuckling.

Becca sighs, feeling better after having laughed. "Why all the secrecy yesterday?"

Grace nudges Ben. "Go ahead and tell her."

"Could we do this in private? It won't be so bad for me," he asks.

Grace hugs him and whispers, "Good luck," before leaving.

Ben stares as Grace leaves the room. When she shuts the door, Ben gets up and walks to Becca. "I've been working on something for you. I was trying to finish it up yesterday when everything started going wrong. I knew Jace was going to propose to Grace a while ago and I figured if he could work up the guts to propose I could tell you how I really feel about you. But I wanted to do it a bit differently from his extravagance. So I learned a song to play and sing for you—if you'll let me."

Becca grows suddenly very shy. "Okay," she agrees.

He gestures for Becca to sit on the couch and leaves for his guitar. Becca hopes it is not a break-up song.

Finally, Ben comes back in with his instrument. He clears his throat, and grins sheepishly at her. "Sorry, I'm a bit nervous."

Becca nods and he takes a deep breath and starts playing. When he's finished singing, he searches her face. His spirits fall when he sees her crying.

"Becca, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry." He puts down his guitar and starts toward her when she rushes to him and practically jumps into his arms. In her mind, all she can think is, he just told me he loved me. Becca hugs him hard as if she's never going to let him go.

She whispers to him, "That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"You aren't mad?"

"How could I be mad at you for telling me you loved me?"

"Well, you said you wanted to take things slow..." he trails off.

"That's not too fast for me, because I love you too."

Ben beamed. He leaned in to kiss her when the door crashed open and both Grace and Jace fell into the room.

Becca and Ben's heads jerk back to see them in a heap on the floor.

Grace frowns unhappily at her boyfriend. "Jace! Why'd you trip? We were getting to the..." she looks up to see them staring at her.

"Grace, really?" Becca says. "I know you guys are in love and all but please not on our bedroom floor."

Ben and Jace laugh hysterically when Grace starts to blush. She shoves Jace in the chest. "Get, get off me. You're really heavy."

"In a good way?" he asks her with a delinquent smile.

"Maybe..."

Ben and Becca laugh again as Jace gets up to help Grace on her feet.

"So no hard feelings?" Grace asks Becca.

Becca smiles at Ben. "None whatsoever."

Grace sighs. "Thank goodness. I didn't want to make you mad, but you were being really stubborn."

"Grace, I was drunk. You know I'm stubborn when I'm drunk—even more than when I'm sober."

Grace looks at Ben and sees that he's still looking at her best friend. Quietly Grace pushes Jace out, him protesting, and shuts the door.

Becca looks up to see Ben still studying her and she smiles when he does.

"Now where were we?" He leans back down and kisses her softly on the lips. Afterward, they You two come out of the bedroom all giddy to see that Jace and Grace were making breakfast, she in the middle of his arms while he's trying to show her how to flip a German pancake.

"See? It's all in the wrist," he says.

Grace laughs. "Okay, let me try."

Just as she flips the pancake Becca says, "Well, you two look cozy," causing Grace to toss the pancake, it sticking to the ceiling.

"Uh-oh," Jace says.

Grace and Jace look at each other and start laughing.

Becca looks at the boys. "You two know you are getting it down, right?"

Ben sighs. "Yes, Love, we know."

Jace shrugs. "I thought we could leave it there, as a reminder of us."

"We don't want to look irresponsible," Grace says. "Here, I'll get it down."

Jace stops her, "No, I'll do it."

"I'm the one who got it like that. Let me," Grace insists.

"I'll do it. Just finish the others."

Grace shrugs and goes back to the stove. "Alright, but this isn't going to be pretty."

"Here," Ben offers, "this will be easier if we work together. How about one of us gets on the other's shoulders?"

"Okay, but I want the top," Jace demands.

Becca and Grace start laughing as Jace realizes what he said and looks at them dolefully. "Oh ha-ha, very funny."

Even Ben starts snickering. He squats down and Jace sits on his shoulders, by this time the girls stop what they were doing to watch, knowing that it was going to be comical.

"Okay," Ben says, "where do I need to go?"

"Go left!" Jace orders.

He does. "How's that?"

"Your other left," Jace tells him, straining to reach.

Ben moves.

"There!" Jace yells. "Stay right there. It's perfect."

The girls giggle.

"Can you go any higher? I can't reach it," Jace says, missing the pancake by an inch.

"I can't go any higher. This is as tall as I get."

"Great. Okay, just...boost me up."

"I CAN'T!" Ben repeats.

"Well then stay still," Jace orders him as he tries to raise himself up.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you guys used a chair first?" Grace suggested.

Jace pauses. You could practically imagine a light bulb above his head as he says, "Oh, yeah." Jace tries to climb down and throws Ben off balance making them land in a heap.

Becca starts laughing so hard she can barely manage to say, "You got the top, Jace!" Before she and Grace dissolve into more giggles.

Jace shoots them a glare and makes Becca laugh even harder.

"Now we use a chair," he says. Jace gets up to give Ben a hand. He then slides a chair directly underneath the pancake stuck to the ceiling.

"What me to get on your shoulders?" Grace asks. "I'm lighter."

"Please do," he says, glaring at Becca. She's still snickering, but gallantly tries to stop.

Jace stand on the chair, and helps Grace up as well. He kneels down, and she sits on his shoulders.

"Okay. I'm on. Please don't drop me," Grace says.

"I'll try my best." He rises up and Grace tries to steady herself. When he's fully erect she reaches up and grabs the pancake off the ceiling. It peels off like a sticker.

"Got it!"

Jace is relieved. "Good," he sighs and slowly lowers back into a crouch. Grace climbs off, and they marvel together at how good they are as a pair. That entire tedious process was done on a stool.

"Here Ben," Grace throws him the troublesome pancake.

Ben catches the pancake and looks at the goo that comes off on his hands then throws it in the trash. He washes his hands then grabs some of the finished pancakes for him and Becca to share.

They sit down in the living room on a chair, she in his lap, and proceed to share pancakes. Grace and Jace come in with two plates of pancakes and they all eat in silence until Grace asks, "So, we have to go home tomorrow."

Jace nods sadly. "Yeah. The weekend will be over."

"We didn't even get to do much with all the drama," Becca commented.

Jace nods. "Like living in a soap opera."

"Yeah," Ben agrees. He laughs a little. "I wonder what our show would be called."

"Love is Complicated," Jace offers.


	17. Ready to Rock

"I figured something cleverer like Mai Shadowhunters, but Love's Complicated is a more accurate title," Ben said. The group was still sitting in the living room after finishing their breakfast. Jace scrunched his face up.

"Mai and Shadowhunters? If mundanes knew about us, I have no idea what they would do. In fact, I wonder what people think of me as I just go about my day." Jace got a thoughtful expression on his face.

Grace rolled her eyes. "Girls stare at you a lot," she said.

"It's true…and Ben," Becca added, draping her arm across her boyfriend's shoulders.

"I wonder why..." Jace said, smugly sarcastic.

"Grace and I get a lot of glares," Becca informed them. Jace got up and plugged an iPod into a dock.

Becca groaned and leaned her head against Ben's shoulder but he picked her up and set her down and stood up with Jace. Becca and Grace just stared at them both, mouths gaping in an I-totally-can't-believe-this-is-happening expression as the boys started singing.

"This is why were hot," they both sang, "This is why we're hot; this is why we're hot. We're hot cuz were fly you ain't cuz you not, this is why, this is why, this is why were hot."

Grace and Becca looked at each other and laughed. After the song had ended, Jace and Ben retook their seats Grace picked up the conversation.

"So even though it makes you two feel good when people think you're fly, they looks at us like we just keyed their car," she clarified. Becca nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it's not as fly," Becca mocked jokingly.

"It's a part of the overall effect." Jace shrugged.

Ben being the more sensitive added this, "Well obviously you don't see the looks we get from other guys. If looks could kill we would be dead again," Ben said, seriously.

Jace nodded and fist bumped Ben. "Props to the again," he said.

"Thank you. Well I would be dead eight times over but..." Ben trailed off. Jace raised his eyebrows.

"Trying to up me are you?" Jace asked.

Ben shrugged. "I am just pointing out a fact," he said but had a hint of a smug smile.

"If I could die more times than you, would that make me more awesome?" Jace asked.

Grace and Becca rolled their eyes at one another. They slipped quietly out of the bungalow and walked over to Jace and Grace's bungalow. A few minutes later after the girls were in their bathing suits, Grace called Jace on the phone.

"Are you done comparing to see whose is bigger?" she asked, making Becca snicker. Jace ignored the question.

"Where'd you guys go?" he whined.

"We're headed to the beach to spend all day there," Grace said as she and Becca walked back into the bungalow.

"Good because we're…" Jace trailed off and he and Ben's eyes instantly glaze over when they see the girls in their bathing suits. Jace still had the phone to his ear when he asked Ben, "what was I saying again?"

"I have no idea," he said, not taking his eyes off of Becca.

"Jace?" Grace asked.

"Yeah?" He was still on the phone even though they were standing right across the room from each other.

"Can you hang up so we can all go water skiing?" Grace asked.

"Righteous," Jace said, using the surfer dude's word. He hung up the phone and cleared his throat.

"So surfer dude rubbed off on you huh?" Becca asked him.

I like it. It's kind of like flickin'."

Becca rolled her eyes. "Just go change, you guys," she said, flopping on the couch. Grace handed Jace his suit and he went to go get changed. The girls, now taking their turn to stare, saw the truth to the song the boys were singing earlier when they come out in their swim trunks.

"We fly?" Jace asked a smug grin on his face. Ben looked amused and somewhat concerned at the blank look on Becca's face.

"Love, are you alright?" he asked her.

She tilted her head at him. "What?" she asked, dumbly.

He grinned and looked at Jace. "They like what they see," Ben said.

Now both of them looked smug.

"I have no idea what he just said," Becca told Grace.

"Ladies stop it! I am not a piece of meat!" Jace exclaimed.

"Yeah...you're fly," Grace said to Jace as they all gathered their things and headed for the beach.

When they got to the beach, they saw surfer dude and he waved them over. The four couldn't help but notice that he no longer had dreads but fluffy hair just like Jace's.

"No freaking way," Jace said. Grace started laughing under her breath.

Becca raised her eyebrows. "You shouldn't have told him everything apparently," secca told him.

"I'm not the only one on this island radiating with charm and hotness now! That is MY hair!" Jace stamped his foot like a child.

"Honey, it still looks best on you," Grace soothed her upset fiancé.

Ben laughed quietly.

"She speaks the truth, Jace," Becca said, trying to make her frenemy feel better. "It looks way better on you." By then they had reached Surfer Dude.

"Yo dudes and dudettes! What do you think, huh?" He shook out his hair.

Jace is appalled.

"Nice," Becca said, simply not wanting to be rude.

"Same," Ben added.

Becca tacked a bit on. "But it's not you," she said. Ben and Grace nodded their heads while Jace glared at him—a mix of anger, hatred, jealousy (although he would never admit it), and superiority.

"You look like me, but a waaaaaay less hot version," Jace said.

"Well, I like it. I've gotten so many girls with it. Thanks, man," Surfer dude said to him, meanwhile nodding to a couple of girls in bikinis who were walking past.

"You WHAT?" Jace said, his eye twitching.

"Yeah. Turns out this hairstyle is a babe magnet."

Jace looked like he was about to explode. "I KNOW THAT ALREADY!" he shouted.

"Jace, you have your Babe. Chill," Becca said.

"But-but-but..." Jace spluttered. Grace pulled him away.

"We'll be at the skiis," Grace called to Surfer Dude over her shoulder.

"Be there in a sec. I just saw a hottie over there….HEY BABE!" he called and ran away from them.

"I could die," Jace said, melodramatically. "I could die, and they would label me as the dude who had ordinary hair."

"Your hair is not ordinary," Grace said, soothingly.

"Apparently I'm not the only one who has hair like this, though!" Jace protested, pouting.

Becca decided to step in. "Jace, you are now a trend setter. Or better yet you should try to put a copyright on your hair," Becca said, getting excited.

"Copyright?" Jace asked, intrigued. He turned to Becca.

"Yeah you know. No one can reproduce it for so long without your permission," Becca explained. Jace looked thoughtful.

"Do they do that with movies and stuff?" he asked her. She nodded. "Oh. So that's why I got banned from YouTube."

"Yes, that's probably why Jace," Becca said, giving an amused eye roll. Jace looked at Surfer Dude again.

"People suck," Jace stated.

Ben shrugged. "It's just one of those things you have to get over, man."

"I will never, NEVER let this freak live this down," Jace said annoyed.

"Hey, what do you say we check out the club tonight?" Grace asked trying to change the subject. Jace ignored her.

"That is MY hair!" he said pointing.

"Okay!" she interrupted again, "So….the club?"

"Whatever," Jace said, still pouting.

"We can do some dancing," Becca said with a shake of her hips. Ben and Jace groan.

"I don't dance," Jace said.

"Really, Love, you know I don't like dancing," Ben protested, "even though I actually know how."

"Fine, we'll just find some other hot guys to dance with," Becca said, hoping Grace would play along. She didn't.

"I only want to dance with Jace," Grace said giving Becca a weird look.

"Can't you dance with Becca?" Jace pleaded.

"Yes, but I want to dance with you as well. What happens if they play a slow song? I'll have to sit it out!" Grace whined.

"Ugh," Jace grunted.

"Jerk," Grace muttered. To Ben she said, "You won't dance? But you're British gentlemen."

Becca rolled her eyes. "He will. He's great at it. He just won't," she said, shooting a glare at her boyfriend.

"Dance with your girlfriend dammit!" Grace said, hoping if Ben would agree to dance with Becca that Jace would follow suite.

"But...I don't want to," he said. Becca crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh so you don't want to dance with ME?" she asked with attitude. Jace and Grace discreetly back away from Becca.

"Well then who do you want to dance with?" Jace asked from a safe distance.

Becca tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, Ben, who do you WANT to dance with."

"No one," Ben said calmly.

"Well you boys are boring. Jace, whether you like it or not, you're dancing with me," Grace said. "You'll have fun, I promise."

Jace gets a sour look on his face. "I am whipped," he whispered to Ben.

Ben gave him a knowing look. "I told you so…"

Becca narrowed her eyes at Ben. "You're dancing with me, too," she said. Then Becca and Grace turned on their heels and headed for the bungalows.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Jace called after them.

"To get ready for the club," Grace said over her shoulder.

"We better go find a...what's it called? Football game. This could take hours," Jace said.

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we're going to have a great night," he said sarcastically.

"Stop being sarcastic," Becca called. "That's my thing."

* * *

><p>Becca looked in the mirror finally satisfied with herself; she was wearing black leggings under a hot pink off the shoulder dress that stops just above the knee with black flats and a small black handbag.<p>

She swiped pink eye shadow on her lids and lined them with a pencil thin line of shimmery black eyeliner and a swipe of mascara. Her hair was half up half down with a huge black flower pin holding it from her face. She simply applied a clear coat of gloss to her already full lips.

Ben was sitting on the couch channel surfing when she came out of their bedroom. He was wearing a black button down shirt with dark wash jeans. He had the sleeves rolled up to right below his elbow and the top two buttons undone. He started getting ready five minutes earlier and Becca thought he looked like a god.

Ben then looked up from the television which was some boring documentary about the lifespan of goldfish. When he saw her, his eyes twinkled like a boy looking at a heap of presents on Christmas. "Wow." He stands and drops the remote after turning off the TV. "You look fantastic, darling; quite electrocuting."

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself," Becca said, shyly.

Ben looked relieved. "Oh, that's good. I hadn't a clue of what I should wear to a club, so I asked Jace. He didn't pick it out, but since he lives in Manhattan, he was helpful." Becca giggled.

"Of course Jace is giving out fashion advice. He's very particular about the way he appears," Becca said.

"You have no idea. I watched him do his hair. It is a very long and dull process. But the outcome is fascinating," Ben said, thinking back momentarily.

"Well maybe so but please don't try it," Becca said. She would beg if she had too.

"I won't. I like my hair the way it is. Anyhow, I'm sure he would try to kill me if I did," Ben said. Becca raised an eyebrow.

"There is no try about it since you're his best friend. He would consider it betrayal," she informed him. "And I like the way your hair is too."

Ben smiled. "Thank you, Love." He went over to Becca and kissed her on the cheek.

"You are welcome," she said, and then her face scrunched up. "Quick question."

"Yes?"

"Why do you so desperately not want to dance with me?" she asked looking up into his eyes. "Or anyone else for that matter?"

Ben sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I just...okay. I you I can dance, my mother made me take lessons, but I don't want to...outdo you. Please don't be mad." Ben spat the last sentence out quickly.

"Outdo me?" Becca said, raising both eye brows.

Ben winced. "Yes."

"I will have you know that I have taken quite a few dance lessons myself. So why don't you just dance with me and we'll see who does the outdoing, shall we?" Becca challenged him.

"If you say so, Love," he conceded hoping that he wouldn't get put on the couch that night.

She rolled her eyes and dragged him to Grace and Jace's bungalow.

* * *

><p>That night Grace came dressed in a black cocktail dress, knee length, making her look incredibly curvy, but not too overpowering. She wore heels to match of adequate height. Her hair was a mass of voluminous, blond, silky waves and pulled back with a vintage pin. Her lips were full with a just-bitten look to them accompanied by porcelain skin and contrasting black mascara. She lined her eyes with kohl and smudged her lids with a smoky hue. On her legs were fishnet stockings. As a finishing touch she brought with her a handbag that was turquoise and painted her nails to match.<br>When she walked out of the bathroom she saw Jace sitting on the bed, all ready to go. He was dressed in dark wash street jeans and a button down shirt with a loose jacket hanging from his broad shoulders, giving him a casual, but sophisticated feel. It was black, naturally. How he managed to look so put together in a few minutes never ceased to amaze her.

He looked up at Grace from something he was reading and smiled. Not a grin, but the kind of boyish smile that makes your heart melt—all white teeth, and his hair was messy, but gorgeous.

"You look amazing. You look better than I do," Jace said. It was a lot considering that, well, he's Jace.

Grace blushed. "I do not. You look….deliciously angelic and decadently handsome."

"I know. And you look rather angelic yourself." Jace waggled his eyebrows at her making her giggle.

"Yeah, but I'm not as angelic as you. You're more than any of us," Grace pointed out. "But thanks."

"You're welcome," he said. Jace walked over and kissed Grace making her eyes widen in surprise.

"Um, thanks again?" she asked when he pulled away.

He gave her an inquisitive look. "A guy can't kiss his own fiancé?" he asked, wondering if he had broken some kind of rule. It would be a stupid rule, he figured, considering what they had previously done.

"No, you can kiss me all you want. In fact go ahead, I...Oh, God that sounded stupid." She furrowed her brow trying to think of the right words.

Jace grinned at her. "If I didn't know Becca would be here at any minute I would take you up on that."

Grace blushed deeply this time and tried to hide it behind her hair.

He reached under her chin and pulled her face up. "Don't hide. I think it's cute when you blush."

"That makes one of us," Grace mumbled shyly.

"Gracie, you are degrading yourself and I don't like that," Jace said, a frown marring his features.

"I just meant that you see something in me that I don't," Grace said.

"Well what I see is a gorgeous woman. If any guy tells you otherwise you tell me and I'll kick his ass," Jace said, determinedly.

"I take that as a compliment, but I hope you see beyond the surface of me as well."

"Of course I do. I meant inside and out," Jace said, quickly.

Grace smiled, then grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek. "Good." She lowered their clasped hands and guided him towards the door just as Becca was poised to knock.

Jace opened the door just as Becca's fist moved to rap and instead she hit him right on the forehead.

"Ow," Jace said, putting a hand to his forehead.

Becca's eyes widen. "Ohmigod!" she said, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Becca!" Grace scolded, thinking that it was on purpose.

"I am so sorry! I was just going to knock and he opened the door! It wasn't on purpose," Becca spouted out hurriedly.

"Sure it wasn't," he said then winked at her letting her know he was okay.

"Good. You don't hate me." Becca sighed with relief.

"Of course I don't hate you. You're my frenemie," Jace said looking at her like she had grown another head.

"I was afraid you were going to un-frenemie me again," Becca responded to his questioning stare.

"Only if you insult my sexiness again," Jace said with a warning glance.

"Never again," Becca promised.

"Fantastic. I see that you're both dressed, so how about we all head to the club?" Jace said, clearly ready to get the night over with.

"That's great! Let's go." Becca began pulling her friends along for a night they would never forget.


	18. What a Performance

Becca drags Ben toward the club eager to prove that I dance just as well as he does, if not better.

"You seem determined," Grace noticed.

"Yeah, you got a crazy look in your eye," Jace agrees with his girlfriend.

"I am determined. Ben told me why he didn't want to dance with me. Apparently he doesn't want to outdo do me."

"Oh? Well I'm eager to see how well you guys can shake it." Grace and Jace start laughing and looking at Ben.

"Dude, you can't out-dance Becca," Jace says.

"Yeah, she went to a special high school for arts," Grace explained. "She was in their dance program."

Ben looks at Becca. "You never told me that."

She shrugged. "You never asked." She kept walking towards the club. "But anyway, it was cool."

Finally the four reach the door. They get in easily, and Jace guide them to a table with a great view of the stage.

Grace goes to pull out her chair, but Jace beats her to it. "I'll get that."

Grace looks like she's controlling her aggravation. "Thank you, but I could have done that myself."

"I thought that since I am your boyfriend—I mean, fiancé—that I could get the chair for you," Jace told her.

"Oh," Grace struggles. "Okay." Jace pulls out the chair and she awkwardly sits down.

Becca pats Jace's arm. "Let me make this easy for you, Jace. The last guy that pulled out a chair for Grace ended up on his butt on the floor. She is extremely independent."

Grace smiles at him. "I think that it's sweet," she says, trying to be nice.

Jace smiles back slightly. "Sorry. I didn't realize that—I mean..."

Grace puts her hand on top of his. "Don't worry. I don't care. Just don't feel like you have to do it every time."

Ben pulls out a chair for Becca then sits down next to her with his arm draped on the back of her chair.

Jace leans over to Ben. "Why is Becca cool with it?"

Ben shrugs. "From what she's told me, she was raised to know that while a woman can do anything a man can do, she also knows that a man is supposed to take care of a woman, therefore she doesn't mind as much. Also, she is somewhat of a romantic." He rolls his eyes.

"Ah," Jace says. "Never got that vibe from her."

"That's because you guys hate each other so you never got to know her."

"Well maybe we can catch a movie or something. Or I could train her. Grace wants me to make amends," Jace says.

"Training I wouldn't mind. But a movie? I don't think so." He sees Jace's face, and then adds, "I know you don't mean it in that way but for my piece of mind…"

"Ew," Jace scrunches his nose. "I'm engaged."

"Worse things have and do happen." He repeats, "Just for my piece of mind."

"Dude, seriously. Please stop talking before I lose my lunch. This is already as hard as it needs to be."

Suddenly they overhear the DJ announce that the floor is going to open, and a song came on over the radio with lots of bass.

"What is this called?" Jace asks. "I highly doubt this appropriate."

"Jace, half the stuff you do is inappropriate," Grace tells him. "And it's Move Shake Drop."

Becca grabbed Ben and went out to the dance floor. They began to do the basic cha-cha. Then Ben got fancy expecting her to fall behind, but Becca kept up, even adding some spins and flares. She looked at his face and saw him staring at her bewildered. Becca just smiled and kept dancing.

"Kick her ass Ben!"

"Jace!" Grace scolds.

"What?"

"Not nice!"

"She would say the exact same thing."

When the song was over, Becca and Ben went back to their seats where they had two glasses of water waiting for them. Ben is exhausted.

"Weak."

Ben narrows his eyes at Jace. "I would like to see you keep up with her."

"Please," Jace says. "I have trouble keeping up with my own girl let alone yours."

"Well then shut up," Ben tells him.

"Yes, Jace. Shut up," Grace agrees, peeved at Jace's comment about not being able to keep up with her.

"Whose side are you on?" he asks her.

"Come on guys be nice," Becca says, not wanting to fight again.

"She started it!" Jace points at Grace. She kicks him under the table. "Ow!"

Grace sticks out her tongue.

Becca rolls her eyes. "You guys are being so immature." She sips her water. "That's my job, not yours."

"Well I'm sorry for being bitter, but he won't dance with me. You know what? I'm making you," Grace says to Jace.

He looks startled. "What? No—" Grace grabs him and pulls him out onto the dance floor.

"This is going to be funny." Becca laughs. "Do you have your camera?" she asks Ben.

Jace just stands there watching Grace begin to move. "Come on. You know you want to!" she encouraged.

"No, I don't."

"Why not? It's fun."

"I don't—I don't know how to dance."

Ben hands Becca his camera phone and she aims at Grace and Jace discreetly.

Ben was listening in on their conversation. "He just said he can't dance."

Becca lowers the camera. "You're listening to them?"

"You did it before," ben said.

"Yeah and it almost broke us up."

Ben shrugs. "Yeah."

"Doesn't it make sense to NOT listen to their conversations, then?"

Ben nods. "Yeah, but he needs help."

"Well what are we going do?"

"You're a good dancer and a good teacher. Go teach him to dance."

"Oh, hell no!"

Grace stops dead when Jace admitted to her he couldn't dance. "Really? You've never told me that before."

"I just...can't."

Grace holds out her hands. "Well then let me help you." He takes them.

There is a constant thumping in the background, keeping tempo. "You hear that? Try to bob your head to the beat," Grace instructs.

"That is absurd."

Grace rolls her eyes. "Just do it."

Becca looks over and sees Grace and Jace bickering when Ben's hand grabs hers and drags her to the floor right next to them.

Jace sighs then reluctantly does what Grace asks of him, somewhat unsuccessfully.

"Good," Grace says. "Now," she grabs him and pulls him closer, "formation."

"Like, combat formation? I can do that," Jace says.

Ben interrupts. "Becca here is going to teach you to dance, my man."

"Oh hell no!"

Becca nods furiously. "That's what I said." She looks at her boyfriend. "See, Ben? They are doing perfectly fine on their own."

"But, darling, he clearly needs help."

"I can do this. All I have to do is going into fighting stance, right? That's a form," Jace says.

"No, Jace."

Becca rolls her eyes. "God, you do need help."

"Okay first things first you have to loosen up," she instructs him. "Sway like I do with the music."

Grace looks at Ben. "You want to dance while she's teaching my illiterate fiancé how to?"

Ben shrugs. "Why not?"

Jace and Becca sway to the music as Grace and Ben whirl away. Jace gets a very jealous and angry look on his face.

"Okay, now you have the beat down...relax Jace, he won't do anything, I promise," Becca says, seeing his face.

"You aren't a guy, though. Their mind is constantly on one channel," he tells her.

"Oh, God. Jace, he's letting me stay and dance with you does that tell you anything?"

"I desperately need help and he's using this opportune moment while I'm at a disadvantage to get with my girl?"

"Jace, we went through this earlier this morning," Becca says, getting worn out.

"So? ONE CHANNEL."

"Right. So is that what you're thinking of with me?" Becca raises her eyebrows at him.

"NO! Oh my God," he pauses getting that look like he might faint or possibly run away due to being claustrophobic, "I may be sick."

"See? That's how it is with Ben. He views Grace as a friend nothing more."

"He better, otherwise there will be something getting cut off by the end of the night." Jace sighs. "Look. Can you teach me or not?"

"If you would quit being jealous then yes, I could."

"Fine," he says stubbornly.

"Now you have the beat, so shake your hips with it like this." Becca shows an example. She starts moving her hips with the music and he gives her a doleful look.

"I am not a girl."

"Really? I would have never guessed." Becca smiles.

Just then, Ben comes dancing over with Grace, having listened in on their conversation. "Huh. Could have fooled me."

"Shut up," Jace tells him. "I just want to get this straight so I can become Mr. Perfect again."

"You can't be good at everything."

Jace grabs Grace and shoots Ben a glare. "I will dance with her now, thank you very much."

"Why don't you let me help you first?" Ben asks. He reaches for Jace.

"NO! No, don't touch me." He moves away.

"Ben, please don't touch him," Becca asks nicely.

"Come on. Let me help," Ben says.

"Why don't you stand beside him so he can get an idea of how to do the basics?" Grace offers.

"Let's get started then."

Grace grabs him and pulls him to her fiercely. He gets an intimidated look on his face.

"Ben," Grace says, "teach away."

Becca and Ben do the steps slowly letting Jace see everything. Pretty soon he's catching on quickly, spinning and dipping Grace like a pro.

"See"" Ben says. "I told you I could help."

"Astounding."

Ben blinks. "It's not THAT surprising."

"Yes it is. Now I'm not only hot, I can dance too."

"Oh, boy," Grace says.

"I'm double trouble."

With the mission accomplished, Ben swoops Becca across the dance floor.

"I am impressed," Becca tells him. "You taught Jace what I couldn't."

"Yes, well, I am a professional."

Becca rolls her eyes. "Yes, sweetie, but I'm better than you at dancing so what would that make me?"

"The girlfriend of the best male dancer on earth?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I think YOU would be known as the boyfriend of the best DANCER on the earth. Not the other way around."

Ben chuckles. "Okay, Love. You win."

She smiles at him. "I always do."

"I am so whipped," he says himself.

Becca grins. "And don't you forget it."

* * *

><p>After dancing for about fifteen minutes, Grace says, "Okay, Jace. So how about we learn something less formal?"<p>

"What's that?"

"Well, for one you're not dancing the right way for the setting we're at."

"Oh. So I'm a crap dancer?" he asks.

"No, you're good. Just not for here. People—" she points to a guy off to the corner "—are starting to look at us weird."

"Maybe because I'm so stunningly handsome and he's just jealous that I've got a hot chick with my hands on her waist?" Jace asks, smirking.

"No, Jace. That's not it."

"Uh-huh. Sure it isn't." He spins strategically so that he can flip the guy off in the corner that keeps checking out her legs.

"Did you just flip him off?" she asks because the guy suddenly turned away with an annoyed look.

"Maybe..."

Grace rolls her eyes. "Alright, focus. Observe and copy. Since you already understand beat, you'll eventually adapt your own style."

"Okay, so the move I'm about to show you is called grinding," Grace says informatively to Jace.

He looks taken aback. "I'm sorry, what?"

Grace gestures. "See all these people?"

"Wait. We're doing that?

"Yeah."

Jace swallows.

By now Ben and Becca have already sat down, and continues to spy on Grace and Jace. "Oh this should be good. Grace just told Jace she is going to teach him to grind," Ben tells Becca.

"Ben! Stop listening to their conversations!"

"You don't have to if you don't…" Grace starts.

"No! I want to. Here," he pulls her closer. "Teach me."

"Okay. So you do this," she starts rolling her body from top to bottom, making pivotal motions with her hips, "and that's pretty much it. Except, you have to act less...girly."

"Okay," he says, trying to copy her, adapt his own style like Grace had said he would.

"Good. Now get behind me."

"Uh..."

Grace pulls him over and places him behind her and she starts dancing again. "Now, follow the rhythm," she says to him.

Ben and Becca start laughing at the expression on Jace's face as Grace starts dancing.

Grace looks over at them with a questioning stare. They immediately school their features and won't look at each other.

Grace looks back at Jace to see that his face is deeply concentrated, "Um, Jace?"

"Yeah?"

Becca and Ben start laughing again as soon as Grace looks away.

"Are you okay?"

"Never better." He is now really into the dance.

"Okay. Well, you want to take a break? I'm exhausted," she says.

Jace looks disappointed. "You're exhausted? Well, that's a turn of the tables."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Grace asks.

Jace shuts up instantly. "Nothing!" Then he leaves for the table, pulling Grace behind him.

Ben's face changes to a shocked expression.

"What?"

"It's nothing, Love, don't worry about it."

When Jace arrives at the table, he asks, "What's the faces for? You all look like you're sharing a private joke." Grace, once again, looks at them both questioningly.

Ben and Becca give them their most innocent looks and say, "No, no private joke here."

"Yes there is, I can tell by your faces," Grace says, sitting in her chair.

Finally Jace catches on. "No! There's no private joke," he supports.

"Jace, did you like the dance?" Ben asks, trying not to laugh.

"Very much, thank you." He glares.

Becca doesn't say anything, but the smirk on Ben's face makes her grin at their private joke.

"What? Why do you have that look again? We were just dancing. What's the big deal?"

"Nothing at all," Becca says.

Ben snorts. "It seemed entertaining."

Grace's eyebrows raise and she looks from Ben to Jace.

"Yeah, it was...fun." Jace coughs. "So, who wants drinks?"

"Jace, would you like your lemon SQUEEZED?" Ben asked, trying not to laugh.

"What's with the emphasis on squeezed?" Grace asks.

"As a matter of fact I would," Jace responds to Ben, ignoring his meaningful tone.

Becca bursts out laughing and Ben struggles to keep his composure. "What about SHAKEN?" he asks.

"What the heck is so funny?" Grace demands.

Jace just glares. "Yeah, actually, I would like both. In fact, make it a DIRTY martini." He can play their game.

"Well, do you want it DRY?" Becca asks him, grinning.

Jace coughs on his water.

Grace sits back in her chair. "What is wrong with you people?"

"You defiantly don't want it ON THE ROCKS," Ben says, cracking up.

Jace shakes his head, not laughing, and ponders for a moment before saying, "That would just be uncomfortable."

"No kidding."

"What would? My God you all are so—" Grace's eyes widen "—oh." She turns red, and then looks at Jace, embarrassed.

They all laugh as she just then understood their whole conversation.

Jace says to Grace's stare, "What? Apparently I am excellent at that dance. I got lots of stares."

Becca snorts. "Well, Grace, would you like a SEX ON THE BEACH?"

She glares. "Shut up."

Becca laughs as Jace says, "YES! That is so much better than on the rocks."

Grace hits his arm. Everyone laughs as she just sits there and blushes, deeper every time Jace bumped her leg "accidentally".

Becca laughs. "Grace, why are you blushing, we aren't even saying anything anymore."

"It's the innuendoes that are making me like this. I can't believe you all are—wait. What was Jace's face like?"

"Stunning," Jace answers for Becca and Ben.

Grace shakes her head, "No, during the dance."

Ben and Becca don't say anything as Jace turns red.

Grace's eyes widen. "OH MY GOD! Jace you were...you were...visualizing..." she can't bring herself to say it.

"ONE CHANNEL," Jace says simply as an explanation to his behavior.

Becca laughs until she's tearing up.

He shrugs. "I told you so."

"One channel? Okay, there is something seriously wrong with you," Grace tells him.

"What? I can't help it. I have needs."

"You are insufferable."

"Thank you."

Suddenly the four overhear an angry man's conversation as he walks past them. He is arguing over the phone with someone about a band not showing up for their performance.

"Huh. Well too bad for him," Jace says as Grace stands up.

"Sir!"

Jace runs a hand over his face. "Oh, boy."

The man, who was the owner of the bar, turns to face Grace. "Look, I'm very busy. I apologize for whatever my staff did ad will pay for your troubles; drinks all around for your table."

Jace walks over and stands behind Grace. "Did I hear free drinks?"

"Alright!" Ben says.

"Yes, I am very sorry for your trouble," the owner tells him to whatever problems he had imagined there was.

"What—oh. Yes, we were very unhappy. I'll have the most expensive drink you have on the house," Jace tells him, catching on.

"Jace!" Grace looks to the owner. "Sir, I hear that your act isn't showing, and I was wondering if I could perform for you. I have talent. I can sing."

"And I play guitar," Ben adds.

Grace nods. "Yes, he does. Can he come up as well?"

The owner shrugs. "Sure, whatever. You two are better than having no band at all. Have at it."

Grace high fives Ben.

Jace and Becca look at each other suddenly uneasy. She whispers to Jace, "They've never played together before."

Grace comes over and gives Jace a kiss on the cheek before hurrying off excitedly towards backstage.

Jace says when she's gone, "I know."

* * *

><p>"So, Ben, what do you want to play?"<p>

"I don't know, what do you want to sing?"

"How about Broken Strings?" Grace asks him.

Knowing the song, with the chords easy to play, Ben agrees. Someone hands him a guitar and he slings it over his shoulder. Grace and Ben walk onstage and the lights which were dimmed suddenly light up as soon as they take the stage.

Grace approaches the microphone. "Hi! I'm Grace and this is one of my good friends, Ben." He walks over to join her and gives a slight smile and a wave to the audience. "We're going to be singing an acoustic cover to Broken Strings for you tonight. Enjoy!"

Becca and Jace looks shocked at the song they have chosen to sing. With all of the compositions out there, why would they pick Broken Strings?

Ben begins, "Let me hold you for the last time. It's the last chance to feel again. But you broke me, now I can't feel anything...When I love you, and so untrue, I can't even convince myself. When I'm speaking it's the voice of someone else." He strums the guitar softly, and then picks it up. "Oh, it tears me up. I tried to hold on but it hurts too much. I tried to forgive but it's not enough to make it all okay. You can't play on broken strings. You can't feel anything that your heart doesn't want to feel …"

"Oh, he won't feel anything after I'm done with him," Jace hisses to Becca.

"No kidding. I can't believe they did that song."

At the point where Ben ends his solo, Grace begins, "Oh what are we doing? We are turning into dust playing house in the ruins of us..."

"How freaking long have they been playing house" I'm going to kill him."

At the duet, Grace and Ben sing, "Running back through the fire when there's nothing left to say. It's like chasing the very last train when it's too late (too late)."

Jace mumbles, "That's what they're going be doing trying to get away from me." He scowls at the stage.

Becca nods in agreement. "Yeah, and it's going be too late, that's for sure."

Suddenly Jace notices out of the corner of his eye a girl in distress, fumbling with a man. She is shouting that her ex-boyfriend is a demon and for him to get away from her. The word "demon" catches Jace's attention, and before he knows what he is doing his feet propel him forward towards the couple.

Becca noticed, and follows him quickly.

"Hey!" Jace shouts. As the man looks up he punches him square in the face. He doubles over, and faints. The girl watches in awe as her golden savior picks her ex up and throws his body in the dumpster. When Jace turns around he sees Becca and the girl who had apparently been crying.

Becca, not sure what to do to help, grabbed the girl and pulled her away from the man.

"Becca, are you okay? Did I accidentally hit you?" Jace asks her.

"I'm fine, Jace, you didn't hit me."

Jace then looks to the girl. "Are you alright?"

The girls smiles coyly and twirls a strand of hair around her finger. "I am now."

Becca rolls her eyes, and plans a hand to her hip. "Here we go."

Jace clears his throat. "Well, um. Glad to hear it." With that he grabs Becca and heads back inside.

When they come back in, Jace has Becca's arm in his hand comfortingly as he steers her to the table. Ben and Grace notice from the stage their affectionate contact and their eyes narrow suspiciously.

After Jace and Becca get back inside and sit down Jace notices that the girl had followed him in. He tries to ignore her, but it is almost impossible. Her eyes felt like lasers cutting into his skull. Finally, he tore his gaze away from the stage and to the rude girl in order to give her a rude state of his own.

Bad mistake. The girl took this as a good thing and came over to sit in his lap boldly. She wasn't dressed nicely or conservatively, and the girl purposefully adjusted herself in a way that made her boobs more noticeable.

Jace uneasily squirmed and glanced at the stage. "Excuse me," he says to the girl, "but can you get off? Like, now?"

The girl, ignoring him, begins to play with his hair—hair that until that moment, only Grace touched.

Trying to be a good friend, Becca decides to help Jace out. "Yo bitch, he said to get off."

The girl shoots Becca a dirty look then goes back to fondling Jace. "So...what's your name, Angel Boy?" she croons.

Jace gets red and looks super uncomfortable. "None of your business," he tells her.

The girl tries to look playfully hurt. "Aw. Now is that any way to treat your damsel in distress?" Then she kisses him, right on the mouth.

Becca cracks her knuckles and stands. "Okay that's it."

Jace backs up, but she keeps her hold on him, biting his lip.

Becca grabs her hair and pulls back hard. "Get off right now."

At this moment Jace looks up, breathing heavily, to see Grace standing above him.


	19. Trouble in Paradise

Grace bit her lip, trying hard not to cry.

"Grace, that isn't what you think it was," Becca said, knowing the look in her best friend's eyes.

Grace didn't hear her.

"No! It's not what it looks like!" Jace exclaimed, but Grace didn't believe it.

"You jerk! How could you?" Grace yelled at Jace, who looked stricken.

Without letting him respond Grace threw the engagement ring in his face and stormed out heading towards the pier.

Ben glared at Jace. "Way to go, Herondale," he spat at him, and then took off after Grace.

"Oh no…" Jace moaned putting his head in his hands.

Becca whirled on the girl who had started it all. "You just broke up my best friend and her fiancé. You are so going down."

All of a sudden the man Jace had earlier disposed of came rushing in asking, "Where is she?"

Jace looked up at the man. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

The man looks at Jace, gives a ghost of a smile, but says again, "Where is she?" Jace points to where Becca has the girl pinned, slapping her repeatedly. The man turns and lifts Becca off of the girl then throws her over his shoulder. He then removes her from the club without making a scene.

Jace and Becca followed the man, who was frantically looking around the alley for something while holding onto the girl.

"What are you doing?" Jace asks the man.

He spins around and matches Jace's piercing golden eyes with a hazel pair of his own. "Where is your stele?"

"My _what_?" Jace asks. Becca's mouth drops open. As far as she knew, most people had no clue what a stele was.

"Where…is…your…stele?" he repeats slowly as if Jace were three.

Jace, confused, reached into his back pocket and hands it to him, not sure what told his mind to trust the stranger in front of him.

Becca stared at Jace incredulously. "Jace, what are you doing? He could be crazy!" she whispers.

In less than a second the man took it from him and drew a rune on the girl's skin. She cried out in pain, and then a dark mist evaporated from her body.

Jace stares silently.

"Ohmigod. Jace, what the hell is going on?" Becca demanded.

"I—I..." Jace stammered for once in his life speechless.

"I am his uncle," the man said, turning to the pair. Jace collapses onto the pavement on his knees. Becca's eyes widen and she quickly grabs Jace's shoulders to keep him from falling on his face.

"Yes, yes. It must all be confusing, but we have no time," the man told them, his voice urgent.

"You're his uncle? Okay I am so confused," Becca said, her hands still holding Jace up by his shoulders.

Jace's uncle handed Jace his stele, and he took it absently.

"Yes. I am his uncle. Jace is it? Listen to me," he said, gripping Jace by the arms, "we must leave immediately."

Jace finally snapped out of his daze and stood up, brushing his uncle's hands off his arms. "No. I want answers. Who, or what, was that thing?" Jace said, pointing at the girl's unmoving body. "And my uncle? I have no surviving family." He crossed his arms in front of him.

"That was a Possessor Demon. It can take over the most pure form and transform the body into its own personal vessel. And yes, I am your uncle. My name is Aden," he says.

"Is she...dead?" Jace asks, hesitantly.

"No. She will be fine," Aden replied. "I merely wiped her clean of the Possessor."

"Okay, so I know I knew about all this stuff, but that was seriously creepy," Becca said out loud to no one in particular. Jace tried to appear as unaffected as possible for a man of his stature. After all, he is one of the Clave.

"Why must I leave?" Jace asks.

"I cannot explain everything to you now. It would be too overwhelming. You must trust me," Aden said.

"Why should he trust you? What if you're lying to him?" Becca challenged.

Aden reached to put a hand on Jace's shoulder, but he backed away, and rested a hand on the hilt of his Seraph blade instead.

"Yes, why should I?" Jace repeats, agreeing with Becca.

Aden chuckled. "So much like your father; always questioning," he said.

Jace stood there thinking. For some reason, beyond his better judgment of character, he did trust him. But why? Why did he feel as if he knew this stranger?

"Jace?" Becca said, shaking him out of his thoughts.

Jace looked at the man. "I trust you," he said, then added, "temporarily."

The man smiles reluctantly. "Good. Now come. We must hurry."

Becca tugged on Jace's arm lightly. He turned his head slightly to her.

"Jace, what about Grace and Ben?" she asked, quietly.

"Wait. My fian—," he paused, carefully controlling pain across his face, then corrects, "my friends. They need to know that I am leaving."

"On the contrary, tell them that you all are leaving," Aden told him.

Jace nodded tersely. "Where can I find you?"

"I will find you," Aden said.

With that, Jace walked off, pulling Becca along with him.

After a few minutes of silence, Becca said, "Jace, do you really trust him? I mean really, REALLY trust him?"

Jace thought for a minute. "I don't know why...but yes. Everything inside me says that he is to be trusted."

"Okay, I just want to be sure. I've never had anything like this happen before and I'm kind of scared," Becca said.

"And you think I have?" Jace said defensively.

Becca's eyes widen. "Jace, you handled it so well I just assumed..." she started but Jace cut her off.

"I don't care if you're scared. Right now we need to find Grace and Ben. There is something bad coming. I can feel it stirring," Jace said.

Becca had a hurt look on her face, but continued walking in silence toward the pier.

* * *

><p>"Grace!" Ben called. "Grace, slow down."<p>

Grace was sobbing, running toward the dock. She wished she could jump into the ocean and swim as far away as possible without exhausting. When she reached the dock she gripped the rail with anger, then released it and cried into her hands.

"Grace, I'm so sorry," Ben said when he caught up to her.

"Ben, why? How could he do that? After how much I love—ed him," she said, choking on a sob.

"I don't know, Grace, I really don't. I wish I did know so I could tell you but…" he trailed off.

Grace looked at him then ran to him and hugged him desperately like a child. "What did I do wrong?" she murmured into his chest.

Ben wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "You didn't do anything wrong," he told her.

"Well then he is an ass. A giant jerk. A—a," she started crying again.

"Shhh. I know. I know," Ben said soothingly, stroking her hair.

Grace looked down at her wrist. As she followed the twisting lines of the rune, she remembered the day she linked herself to Jace. Now it meant nothing. She stared at it in disgust before lowering it again.

"Why do I feel like my heart just got ripped out of my chest, and no one has even touched me? How can he—some stupid boy—do that to me?" Grace asked looking up at Ben.

"Because you were in love with him."

She released Ben then and looked at his shirt where she left mascara stains. She laughed bitterly.

"Are you still?" Ben asked.

She looked at the wood floor, then back at Ben. She had always thought he had amazing eyes; just like Jace, but different. They were soulful and innocent. She replied softly, "I don't know."

She looked so deceptively innocent and fragile to Ben but he had witnessed her reduce a big, strong man to tears. She was resilient and nothing seemed to affect her, but there she stood, broken by the man she loved. His heart broke for her.

"He didn't even come after me," Grace said.

"Well, I did. And I'm not going anywhere," Ben told her.

She smiled. "Thank you for not leaving me alone."

"You're welcome."

At that moment they heard Jace's familiar and steady boot steps down the boardwalk, followed by more haphazard one's trailing behind him.

"Jace! Slow down, damn it!" Becca yelled at him. Jace slows his pace slightly.

Grace and Ben glared at the two of them as they approached. Ben stepped in front of Grace slightly, as she angled slightly behind him; for once she was trying to hide from Jace.

"Haven't you hurt Grace enough tonight?" Ben snapped at Jace.

Jace glared at him. "Shut up and listen. We need to get back to Manhattan asap. Grace? Come on. We need to get our things and suit up," Jace said. Grace just glared at him, not speaking.

"I don't think she wants to go with you, Herondale. And I don't blame her after what you did," Ben said.

"What I did?" Jace asked, confused.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Yes what you did. You broke her heart," Ben said.

"I can't believe you would just stand there and lie to me like that!" Grace exploded.

"But Grace he didn't do anything," Becca said.

"You're supporting him, Becca? How could you?" Grace said, and then stormed off to get her things, happy to be away from Jace.

"What...Grace!" Becca called after her, but Grace didn't turn around.

"What is on your shirt?" Jace asked Ben.

"Grace's mascara. She was crying. You made her cry and I was comforting her," Ben said.

"What? You shared an embrace?" Jace said, getting angry.

"Yes, we did. And I liked it too," Ben said, just trying to get him mad.

Jace got in Ben's face. "What did you just say?"

"I said, I liked it," Ben told him, defiance revealing itself in his face and his voice.

Jace reared back to punch Ben, but paused first. "Because you're supposed to be my friend, I'll give you one more chance to take that back."

"If I take it back then I would be lying," Ben said.

"Ben...I thought…what…what about me?" Becca said quietly, not sure how to yell from such shock.

"Oh, us? Yeah, we're done," Ben said.

Tears formed in Becca's eyes."You're breaking up with me?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"Why shouldn't I? You and Angel Boy slipped out for some private time. Don't look so shocked. Grace and I saw you come back holding hands," Ben said angrily.

"That was a personal matter. None of your concern," Jace said, making it worse.

"You've probably just been pretending to hate each other all the time," Ben said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to pack and a best friend to console." Ben runs quickly toward the bungalows leaving Jace with a crying Becca.

"What the hell is going on?" Jace screamed, pulling at his hair, frustrated.

"But we didn't do anything. Why can't they see that?" Becca said, wiping tears off her face.

"Because they need to understand the weight of the situation," he answered. "This is all far too personal and misunderstood by them. Come on," he said, heading toward the lobby to check them out.

Grace and Ben came in soon after with everything packed up.

Becca was sitting on a couch as Grace came over and sat as far away as possible from her.

"Everything's squared away," Jace announced.

"Good. Come on, Grace," Ben said, reaching out his hand to Grace. She took it and then left, taking their bags.

Jace glared at Ben as he grabbed all but one of his and Becca's bags. "Becca? Let's go. The airport waits," Jace said, not noticing Becca wipe her face as she grabbed the last bag.

* * *

><p>"I see you have arrived. Good, you've brought your friends. How do you do, ladies?" Aden asked.<p>

Becca sniffled and didn't answer.

"I was much better before I came to this godforsaken island," Grace spat, shooting a glare at Jace.

"Oh, you're a feisty one. I suppose that you are my nephew's girlfriend?" Aden inquired.

"Not anymore," she said spitefully.

Jace looks as if she'd slapped him.

"Oh. Trouble in paradise I see," Aden observed.

"You have no idea," Jace said, moodily.

They all boarded and took the same seats that they had before. Only this time they were farther apart. A flight attendant came around to each of them eventually, asking if they needed anything.

"Sir, can I get you anything?" she asked Jace.

"No. Becca?" Jace looked at her.

She wiped her eyes dry. "Water, please," she said.

Jace, still in civilian clothes to blend in, looks at her from the corner of his eye, "Are you okay?" he whispers.

She shook her head and more tears fell silently down her cheeks even though she willed them to stop.

"I know he's being an ass to you, and he has no right to. We haven't done anything wrong, remember that," Jace told her. Becca nodded and Jace continued to tell her, "They're not together."

"How do you know?" Becca asked, surprised that her voice didn't waver too much.

"I know her like I know myself. We practically breathe through each other. She doesn't love him. But she's not sure. She doesn't know what to feel right now, being so confused. But she knows that Ben belongs to you, and she would never do anything with him," Jace informed her.

"But she was holding his hand. And he broke up with me. And he put his arm around her," Becca said, getting upset again. "God, why is it so hard?"

"It's hard because you've found that one person who knows you better than you know yourself. Love is the most powerful weapon. Don't forget that," Jace told her.

"That is one of the sweetest things I have ever heard," Becca told him. "And I won't forget." She gave him a small smile.

The attendant came back with a glass of water for Becca and a cookie for Jace even though he hadn't asked for anything. Jace smiled and handed both to Becca, then winked, eliciting a bigger smile from her.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think they're talking about?" Grace asked Ben, sounding horribly depressed.<p>

"I don't know," Ben said. They had been observing the blonde and brunette sitting away from them. "I could listen in if you want?"

Grace sighed. "No. He is with Becca after all," Grace stated.

"I don't particularly care to hear them together."

"That's fine," she said. She stretched then leaned her head on his shoulder.

"So how are you holding up," he asked, sliding his arm around her back.

"Okay, I guess. Just trying to move on as fast as possible. It's harder than I thought it would be, you know?" she said.

"Yeah, it's pretty rough," he said, looking at Becca sitting next to Jace. He observed as Aden approached them. A minute after Aden had arrived Jace got up and followed him to another part of the plane, leaving Becca in her seat.


	20. Stalling Makeout

Aden gestures for Jace to sit down first and he slides in. "So, I suppose you have some questions for me."

"Yeah, actually. First of all, I'd like to know how you know me, and secondly what the hell makes you think that you're related to me."

Aden sighs. "I was told where you were by sources. The Clave had their hands in it, but I'll just let you know that I am here for a purpose, and a good one at that. I am sorry to have taken you away from your...er...vacation?"

Jace sighs. "Oh it was shot to hell and back again; didn't take me away from much."

"Well that's good to hear. No gain no loss."

Jace winces. "Well that's not completely true. I had gain, then loss—a very painful loss." He pulls out Grace's engagement ring that she had thrown at him back at the bar. He twirls it around in his hand, observing it sullenly.

He notices Jace's silence and looks at what's he's fiddling with. His eyes widen. "Oh. You were...? Oh." The man then pats his nephew on the back. "Never knew you had it in you, squirt."

"Squirt?"

He smiles. "Well you're not much of one now, but you were. Sorry, I just never got the chance to call you that in person, always watching you and Valentine from afar."

Jace stops him. "Wait, how are you related to me again?"

"I am your uncle. You don't see it? By the angel, I do. You're the spitting image of your father. I suppose you would have had your mother's eyes if it wasn't for...the unfortunate events that had happened to Celine and Stephen. Not to mention yourself."

Jace sighs with relief. "For a minute there I thought you were related to Valentine."

"No. That snake." His eyes burn with a reserved hatred.

"That is a mild term for him," Jace puts it. "But I prefer Becca's."

"If it weren't for him you would have parents." He looks at him. "The only thing I'm grateful for is that he decided to save you."

Jace wasn't used to having this personal conversation with anyone but Grace and his family, let alone a stranger. So he decided to clear his throat and casually change the subject. "Yeah. So about this mission?"

Aden clears his throat uncomfortably, regretting that he may have taken a step too far on the emotional side of their reunion. Jace is more so a Morgenstern than a Herondale, anyhow. He couldn't possibly understand love.

He nods. "Of course. But, I'm not quite sure you're ready for it. Although," he chuckles, "you have grown to be quite capable. Can I ask one question first and that will be the last, I promise. Who named you?"

"Um, well it's complicated. The name I go by now was given to me by my adoptive mother."

He smiles before Jace can even tell him who his adoptive mother is. "Ah. I should have known. Maryce Lightwood. She has a soft spot for children."

Jace is startled by how much his "uncle" knows about him. "What are you a stalker or something?" he asks aloud.

He laughs. "Why? Are you afraid that I've seen you shower? Son, anything you have I have. And no, I'm not a stalker. I've already told you, I'm your uncle. True uncle."

"Well you know an awful lot about me and I know nothing about you." He turns to face him. "All I know is you claim to be my uncle."

Aden smirks incredibly just like Jace. "That's because you thought I was dead. Just like you thought that your father was dead."

Jace has to take a moment to make sure that he had heard him correctly. "My father is alive?" he asks, barely above a whisper. Then he hardens, standing. "Where is he?"

Jace's uncle pushed him back down into his seat. "Now sit. We still have much to discuss. If you struggle, I'll have you on your back in less than three seconds."

Jace scoffs. "No one has ever pinned me."

"Valentine has. Remember that. A good fighter always knows the fine line between rage and serenity. Hold onto that and you will aspire. Now are you going to listen?"

"Only because I want to find my father."

"As do I." He sighs while Jace is seething. "Your father has been missing for three months. We now know where he is, but we need your help. The Clave insisted, but I wasn't sure if you were ready for something like this. It would toy with your emotions." He cuts his a sidelong glance.

Jace glares at his uncle. "After the weekend I've had, I can deal with anything."

"Even seeing your father die again to save yourself? Jace, this place, it is the hub of a demon's paradise. He is being held captive by vampires, and no," he says, seeing Jace open his mouth to ask a question he already knew, "none of them are a part of Raphael's clan. But if something were to happen to you, your father couldn't bear to let that happen again. He already regrets it every day. He asked me on multiple occasions how you were doing when I went on my outings to spy on you. He loves you, Jace. If you were to come in harm's way because of him again, he would sacrifice himself." He stares steely at Jace, who looked overwhelmed, before asking, "Do you understand?"

Finally Jace responds, "I won't let him. I understand, but he won't have to. I've gotten out of worse than that. Hell, I've died before."

He waves Jace's mild comparison off. "That was out of our control. It was out of the Clave's control. It was between you and Valentine. Anyway, you were the only one who could get close enough to him. Too close apparently."

"Yeah, I kinda got that. I was there remember?" Jace says.

Just then Becca comes back with a soda for Jace and to check on him. She picked up on the last bit of their conversation, but didn't intrude.

She handed him the soda. "Here, the lady asked if I wanted anything. I thought you might be thirsty."

She looks at him, willing Jace to understand the question swimming in her eyes: "Is everything alright?"

He took the drink and apparently understood because he gave her a slight nod before Becca turned and left.

Aden studies Jace's face. He reminds him so much of himself. Arrogant and charming, yet also soft like his father. He had the family's good looks, that much was certain.

"So, how many girlfriends do you have?" Seeing Jace's expression he adds, "Just curious."

"None now."

He looks confused. "But that girl..." he asks, voice trailing off while he stares at Becca's retreating figure.

"Is my friend," Jace finishes.

"I see. Who are you going to ask to marry? If we make it out alive, I would be honored to attend my nephew's wedding. If I may." He flashes him a smile.

Jace gets a pained look on his face. "To be honest, I don't know. I am an angst ridden teenager who takes his anger out on others."

Aden nods. "Yes, I've noticed."

Jace shoots a glare at his uncle. "You didn't have to agree with me."

"Well Luke won't admit it, but I will. I was just the same when I was your age."

"Yeah, the whole bonding through similar experiences thing? I see right through it."

He knit his brow. "I don't understand."

Jace sighs heavily. "You say you were the same way to try and create a bond with me so we will be closer. I see right through your attempt." He leave his bottle on the table to cross his arms over his chest.

Aden is speechless. He never had any children of his own, but he had always wanted to get to know his mysterious and infamous nephew. He was ecstatic that he would actually be able to talk with him. But now he wasn't certain that it was the best idea for the Clave to send him for Jace.

* * *

><p>All of a sudden Grace stretches from Ben, and yawns. "Are we there yet?"<p>

"No, Lo—" he catches himself, "Grace. No we aren't."

Oh. Well, is it okay if I squeeze by you? I need to use the powder room."

"Of course." He stands up to let her out.

Grace smiles at him then looks down at his shirt. "Oh! Oh, God, That is so embarrassing."

"What?" Ben looks down at his shirt as well. A few splotches of drool made wet spots on his pressed button down shirt.

"I keep messing your shirts up. I will pay you for them when we get back. I promise."

"They're just shirts, Grace. No need to worry, I have plenty." He smiles at her again.

"Yeah, but at least allow me to get them dry cleaned. I feel so bad. I am just totally screwing up your life aren't I?"

He looks shocked. "How could you say that? You are not screwing up my life."

Grace shakes her head. "I am. You're being super nice to me, and I know that I must make horrible company. I am a blubbering idiot."

Ben makes Grace look at him. "One, I'm being nice because I want to be not because I feel I have to. Two, you make extremely lovely company. And three, you are not an idiot. Stop degrading yourself."

She sniffs back a tear. That was so nice and incredibly unnecessary for him to say to her. It was sweet, and she loved him for that. "Really?"

Ben flashes another movie star smile at her. "Really truly."

Grace smiles back and wipes her nose on her sleeve. "You're the best," she says, then moves towards the restrooms. "And I totally owe you."

He sticks his hands in his Dockers and says to her, "You owe me nothing."

On the way there Grace has no choice but to go by Jace and his uncle, and she feel his eyes on her back as she opens the door. The heat of his stare is so intense she turns around to find him standing right in front of her. Grace opens her mouth to speak, but he pushes her inside the bathroom and comes in right behind her, sealing them both inside the stall.

"Jace!" she exclaims angrily. It's cramped, and she can't help but have to stand uncomfortably close to him. He smells familiar, and her stomach flips. He sees Grace flinch, and she backs up, trying to get away from him, but catches her heel on a loose tile and ends up falling backwards onto the toilet seat.

Jace laughs.

"Bite me."

Jace holds out his hand to help her up but she pushes it away and stands herself.

"That would be your area, sweetheart."

"Shut up. What do you want? I'm kind of busy bawling my eyes out."

"I want to talk."

"Yeah? Well too late for talking, sweetheart," she mimics bitterly. Grace reaches for the knob behind Jace, having to lean into him, unfortunately, but he locks it behind his back.

"Can you stop it?" she huffs.

"I can't let you leave. I need to know why you're acting like this. What did I do?"

"Hurt me again. You seem to be good at that."

"Gracie, what did I do?" He holds both her arms in his hands.

She starts to tear up again. "That slut. She was all over you, and then she kissed you. Plus you went into the alcove with Becca." Grace didn't need to elaborate. It was obvious what she thought she and Jace were doing in the alley.

Jace is silent for a moment, then recognition downs on his face. "I pushed that girl off of me."

"No, Becca pulled her off because she was kissing you. Probably upset that she wasn't getting you to herself."

"You know that's not true." He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear like he always does, but Grace grabs his hand.

"Jace…" She's looking down at their shoes facing and touching toe to toe. "Don't," she says quieter.

Jace looks as if she'd cut him with a shard of glass. His eyes dart back and forth as he tries to read her face like he would read a book. "Gracie, I love you."

Something ached inside of Grace; and with her next response, that was when Jace knew something had shifted between them. "Don't say that."

"I do."

"Well, I don't," she says, a hot tear running down her face.

Jace pulls her chin up to look into his golden eyes. "Listen to me, I love you. I am so sorry that you think that I am cheating on you with Becca, but nothing at all happened. She helped me with that girl who was really a Possessor demon."

Grace rolls her eyes at his story. "Jace, that's impossible."

"Is it?"

She looks at him. "They're extinct."

"Ask Becca; she was there."

"I'm not speaking with Becca."

"Grace, she is your best friend. She loves you and would never do anything to hurt you."

"Just like you—" before she can get the words out, Jace is kissing her. It was unlike any of his other kisses before. It was needed, and warm, and all around melancholy. The type of kiss you would give to someone as if you were saying goodbye, or making a promise to some you cared deeply about—the type that would suitably be in the rain.

Grace says Jace's name many times, telling him to stop, but doesn't really remember doing so. Everything melted away. Eventually her saying Jace's name wasn't for him to stop, but just to say it.

He began to kiss her tears, absorbing her scent of lilac and taste of salt.

Jace groaned, a plead deep in his throat, and lifted Grace onto the toilet seat. She gasped, his lips on her neck, and then came out of her reverie. "Jace! Stop."

Jace stops immediately, and looks at her, confused.

Grace pushes him from her and he steps back willingly, dazed. Grace reaches to unlock the door, and she flies out, all the way back to a vacant seat, not going near Ben.

Jace comes out later, his lips numb. He sits down next to his uncle quietly.

Aden, who was reading a newspaper before Jace returned, lowered it and said, "Well if this is what goes on around here I doubt I'll ever be bored around you people."

Jace just sits there still numb, not responding.

* * *

><p>Ben sat there waiting for quite a few minutes. He knew girls took longer than guys but not that long.<p>

When Grace didn't come back a couple minutes later he stood up and glanced around looking for her blonde head. He walked the plane a bit and passed Jace and his uncle. He thought that Jace didn't look like himself, but Ben really didn't care. His concern was for Grace.

He kept looking for her and finally found her crying softly in a seat by herself. He sat down quietly next to her and stretched his hand out for her.

She took it and squeezed it as she cried. Eventually she finally calmed down enough for him to talk to her. "Grace, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Jace, he...kissed me."

"Oh. I'm guessing it didn't go over too well?"

"Well what do you think?" she sniffed. "He kissed my tears. And I let him."

"If you didn't want him too, why didn't you stop him?"

"I did eventually. I was so mad at him at first, but then when he kissed me...I forgot why I was mad at him."

Ben nodded understandingly. "Like old times. So why were you mad at him?"

Grace looked shocked he would even ask that. "Because of what he did to us," she said.

"Can you be more specific? I know what you mean, but it's not healthy to keep it all bottled up inside."

Grace tells him again about the slutty girl and how Jace had just told her it was a Possessor, and again about her theory concerning Becca and him. "He denied that he and Becca did anything."

"He actually denied it? Does he think we're stupid?"

She shrugs. "Apparently so." Grace drops her head into her hands. "I am so confused and so disappointed in myself. I am normally stronger than this. But Jace...he knows where I'm weak."

Ben hardens. "Are you saying he took advantage of you? Like forced you?"

"No, he just...I don't know. We were arguing like we normally do, then to shut me up he kissed me."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry, Grace. I wish I could do something for you."

"There's nothing you can do, Ben. Unless you can somehow make me forget Jace ever existed." She looks up at him.

Ben brushes a tear off of her cheek with his thumb. "How can I do that?"

Grace searches his eyes for a moment, and then lowers her face shamefully. "Nothing. Forget it. You can't." She pulls her hand away.

"What is it? I want to help you, Grace."

She almost laughs. "I am not going to say what I'm thinking right now because you may never speak to me again."

"There is nothing you can say that will make me not speak to you again."

Grace looks at him and then down at her hands. She says it quietly, and hopes that his ears didn't pick up on it. "And that's not a lie," she adds, louder.

"What's not a lie, Grace?" He takes her face in his hands. "Tell me."

Grace flushes. "That I like you...a lot. But I'm not sure if I like you more than a lot. But somewhere deep inside says that I might, but that it's wrong. Does that make sense?"

Ben looks relieved. Almost as if she had read his mind. "Yes, it does. I feel the same way."

Grace stares. "Um, come again?"

"You heard me. I feel the same. I told you it wouldn't make me not talk to you." He gives her a half-watt grin.

Grace returns it with a smile of her own, then sighs. "This is an odd turn of events," she says, grinning at him happily.

"Yes it is."

Grace bits her lip before asking, "So...what do we do now?" She wasn't sure how to act.

Ben links their hands. "How about we just find out where it takes us? Sound good?"

Grace smiles back, enjoying the sound a new adventure. "It sounds perfect."

* * *

><p>Jace is sitting in his chair still, head back, eyes closed, and fingering the engagement ring in his left hand. He can feel his uncle watching him.<p>

"What?" Jace asks, annoyed.

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering why you're letting her get away like that."

Jace sighs. "There's nothing I can do. She hates me."

"Do you love her?"

Jace gives him a look, and you can read his features due to him being worn down from stress.

His uncle chuckles. "Well then I think you shouldn't give up. It's not in your blood, our blood," he corrects, "to give up."

Jace scoffs. "My blood is that of a mutt."

"No. Your blood is ours, but enhanced."

Jace nods that he understands. For once he had met his match when it came to banter and bicker. Or it could just be that he was exhausted.


	21. Stubborn Pheromones

Jace sat quietly for a few minutes before saying, "I'm going to talk with Becca for a while." He walked back to his seat next to Becca and noticed her once again crying, but due to exhaustion it wasn't quiet as violent as before. He didn't say anything, knowing she knew that he was there, and would speak when she was ready.

"You were wrong," she said, quietly wiping at her eyes carefully so that she didn't smudge her eyeliner too badly.

"Wrong?" Jace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Jace, wrong. It means incorrect," she said, sarcastically.

"I'm never wrong. But go ahead and tell me how much of a jackass I am. Go on," Jace said.

Becca sighed. "No Jace. You aren't a jackass. I was listening for you to see where you were but I didn't hear you. I did however pick up on Ben and Grace," Becca said, trying very hard to breathe normally. "Grace said to Ben that she really liked him a lot and he said he felt the same. They are going to 'see where it takes them'."

Jace sucked in a breath of air as though he had been punched in the gut. He tried to breath, stay calm. "Are you sure?" he asked.

She gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, there was no crowd blotting out the sound this time," she told him, referring to when she thought Ben had cheated on her.

"Oh my God," Jace leaned back in his seat, processing the new information. For once he didn't know what to say.

Becca laughed hollowly. "I know right?" was all she said.

Suddenly Jace shot out of his seat. "We need to go back there and stop this," he told her, jaw set.

Becca gave him an incredulous look. "Jace, what are we gonna do? Forbid them to see each other? They already think we've been sneaking around behind their backs. They won't believe a word we say."

"Do you really give a damned about what they think? They're delusional. We didn't do anything!" Jace stressed the last sentence.

Becca shot him a look. "I know that," she said. "But they won't even listen to us. Grace won't even talk to me, and if either of them looks at me it's a glare. I'm lucky looks can't kill or I will have lost all of my lives."

"I talked to Grace."

"Really? What happened? Did she say anything about me?" Becca inquired, hoping against hope that Grace may have come around and she could at least have her best friend back.

"She says that she isn't going to talk to you, as you already know. But she might as well have said that she hates me. God, Becca. It was horrible. How she looked at me...it was like I was a predator. Like I was going to hurt her. I couldn't stand it." He fell back into his seat, face in his hands.

Becca slumped back in her seat resignedly. "That's what I thought. I'm sorry about what happened. If I hadn't followed you..." she trailed off.

"No, don't be. You were actually quite a bit of help."

"Ha! Maybe at the time, but look where it got us." Becca waved her hand at them both.

"I also did something horrible, but uncontrollable," Jace said, quietly. Becca's curiosity was piqued.

"What?"

"I kissed her, and honestly, couldn't stop myself," he sighed. "I might as well have dug a bigger grave for myself. But you want to know the interesting part?"

Becca didn't say anything. She just let him talk.

"She didn't want me to."

"Oh, Jace. I'm so sorry," Becca whispered.

He shrugged. "What the hell, right? It doesn't matter now. I'll never understand why she kissed me back, but she did," Jace shifted and his arm brushed Becca's lightly. "There's this possibility that she still loves me, but I suppose that's just a fairytale, isn't it? I mean, honestly. Who would want me? I'm insufferable, aggravating, independent, and too cautious at times—all bad traits."

Becca bumped his shoulder. "Hey, you're not all bad. Your protective, you take care of people you care about. And you are more desirable than you think. Which is saying a lot," Becca said, flaring her eyes at him.

"Gee, thanks," Jace said sarcastically, then thought about the second part of her statement. "Desirable, huh? That's new. I mean, I know girls are always gawking at me for my unnatural looks, but when they get to see the inside? They'll run. Between you and me, that's why I never open up. Never reveal myself. I know I'm going to get my heart ripped out if I do."

"Well I just saw the inside and I didn't run did I?" Becca challenged.

The corners of Jace's mouth turn upwards. "No. But you will. Just like Grace," Jace said the last words in a whisper.

"Why would I?" Becca asked softly. Her head tilted slightly to the side to see his face better.

He looked at her. "Because I'm me. An abomination, an experiment. I am destined to die," he said, melodramatically.

"Jace, don't say that," Becca said.

"That's how it works for my kind. No way to escape it. Now I don't even have anything to live for anymore," Jace informed her. His words stung her but she knew what he meant.

"Jace, there is always something to live for. Friends, family, love. Like you told me love is the most powerful weapon there is."

Jace blinked at her, amazed that she had retained what he had earlier said. "You remembered that?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course. Just like if you love something let it go and if it's meant to be it will come back. But you have to forget the one you're thinking about now," she said, going over in her head the saying he had been living by for as long as she could remember. To love is to destroy.

Jace rubbed a hand over his face. "It hurts. Especially to know that she doesn't trust me."

Becca raised an eye brow. "And you think it doesn't hurt me too? I've been Grace's best friend for years, longer than you've known her," she said. Her voice quieted, "And I lost Ben too."

Jace heard the sadness in her voice. "I can kill him if you want," he offered with a smile.

Becca laughed. "That won't be necessary. Thanks for the offer though," she said, a twinkle in her eye.

"Anytime. The bounty is always open, though," Jace said.

"Thanks. It means a lot to me."

"That I offered to kill Ben? Wow you are a wreck," Jace laughs, then turns to Becca.

"You've known this for a while now. Yet you still stay my fren—friend," Becca said, quietly, almost contemplatively.

"You're my friend Becca, because I like you. You're a good person. No scars," Jace said. He shows Becca his wrists and forearm and the silver veins running over them.

She ran her fingers over the scars. "What happened? Why are they silver?" she asked.

Jace winced at her cold fingers on his skin. "Well, after you draw a rune on yourself, it burns into your skin. Kind of becoming part of you. See this one?" He points to an intricate rune that looks like calligraphy.

"Yeah?" Becca asked.

"That was Grace's. It's our bonding rune," he said sullenly, then rolled his sleeve back down.

"Oh. I...I..." Becca, for once in her life didn't know what to say.

Jace laughed. "Becca, shut up. You don't have to say anything," he said, smiling at her as she was still tracing her eyes along the runes on his arm.

"But...Okay. I am sorry though. All of this is my fault," she said, so quietly Jace didn't pick up on it.

He noticed her still staring at his upper arm, and raised an eyebrow.

Becca blushed and looked away.

Jace smiled and looked forward. "Hey, Becca?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she said in a small voice, still embarrassed.

Jace leaned over to her. "You have a nice smile," he said, then kissed her on the forehead.

Her eyes went wide and she looked at him in shock.

"You made me feel a whole lot better." Jace grins one of his lopsided boyish grins.

"I...uh...you're welcome," Becca said, not sure what had just happened. She didn't have long to think about it before Jace's uncle called him.

Jace rolled his eyes. "I'm being summoned by He Who Thinks His Shit Doesn't Stink. I'll be back," Jace said.

Becca giggled. "Go tell him his shit does stink," she told him.

"You know it," Jace said, getting up to leave.

Becca grabbed his arm before he took off. "You too," she said. "I mean, you made me feel better too."

He smiled at her then walked off toward his uncle.

"Jace, come sit. We have to go over the schematics of the building we are going to be infiltrating. Where is your girlfriend? The Shadowhunter? She must be here to listen," Aden told him.

"She isn't my girlfriend anymore and I don't think she wants to be anywhere near me right now." Jace said, pain in his voice.

"We have to put aside our differences for our mission. It is our duty. Go get her," Aden ordered.

"And I thought going into the vampire nest was dangerous..." Jace muttered standing up. He goes to Grace and Ben who are sitting rather close talking. Jace clears his throat uncomfortably. They jump, and Grace, who had finally stopped crying, looked more rejuvenated. Though when she saw Jace, she set her jaw and pursed her lips together tightly.

"Yes?" she asked curtly.

'My...uncle...needs us to go over some building plans," Jace informed her. She gave him a business-like nod then stands and releases Ben's hand. The walk back to Jace's uncle was tense and uncomfortable but they were all business when they reached him.

"You wanted to see me Mr...?"

"You can call me Aden," he told her, smiling.

Grace nodded and slid into a leather seat facing him. "You can call me Grace. Grace Her—Willow." She barely covered her slip-up and darted a quick look to Jace who seemed unfazed.

"The pleasure is mine," Aden said, still smiling. He looked at Jace. "Well, don't be rude. Sit down. We have matters to discuss."

Jace flopped into a seat and looked at his uncle attentively.

Aden cleared his throat. "As you can see, we will need to enter through the West Wing. It seems relatively daylight there, so it should be no trouble. However, when we get into the building, be alert. The sun will have gone down by then. No more natural lighting," he said seriously.

"Then what?" Jace asked.

"What if we come in through the East? It seems to have been sealed off from the inside. Also, from what I've read, buildings built around this time usually have a secret room. I'm assuming that's what this portion of the East quarter is."

Aden pondered what Grace suggested, then smiled.

"Very good. Jace? It seems you have picked a winner. Congrats, my boy." Aden winked at Jace who groaned.

"How many times do I have to tell you—"

"Oh, please. You two can't stop with your awareness of each other. You don't detest one another. The pheromones are thick, if I do say so myself," Aden said, and then his brows drew together. "When was the last time you two...?"

Grace's eyes practically bugged out of her head.

Jace was just as shocked. "God, personal much?" he asked.

Grace nodded in agreement.

"Just wondering if that could be the problem. It seems there's a lot of repressed emotion," Aden said as if nothing inappropriate was asked.

"Look, we are here to figure a way into the building not fix mine and Grace's problems. Can we get on with it please?" Jace asked.

"Did you just refer to us as we? Because there isn't a 'we'," Grace said vehemently. Jace rubbed a hand over his face.

"I just meant...by the Angel. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't do anything and you're punishing me for it. Becca didn't either. We know the truth and you and Ben don't want to believe it. Let's just get this over with, okay?" Jace said frustrated.

"There you go. That's how a couple should work things out: communication."

"We are not a couple!" Grace protested indignantly.

"Seriously, Aden? I have told you this a million times. Just get on with it," Jace urged, itching to get out of the situation.

Fine, then. I just thought I could help. You two seem awfully young to be married anyhow. But then again, your father married your mother young..." Aden said with a shrug.

Jace gritted his teeth. "This is not a history lesson. Can we PLEASE finish up so I can go back to my seat and take a nap?" he said, annoyed that he has to ask politely.

"Yes, please. And for the record, we aren't married. We aren't even together. I was engaged, but now I'm not. End of story," Grace said pointedly. She then shifted uncomfortably, "Aden? Can Jace sit by you? I can't think with him this close."

"If I make you so uncomfortable then why don't you and my uncle just figure it out yourselves? I'm out." Jace raised his hands in surrender then stood to leave.

"No! Jace, be mature about this," Aden protested.

Grace looked at Jace.

Jace calmly looked at his uncle. "I have tried to be mature about it but you keep bringing up my no-existent relationship with Grace and she keeps accusing me. I tried to put everything aside so we could talk about getting into the building but we have talked about almost everything except for what we are supposed to be taking about. So you guys can figure it out and fill me in later. I am tired and want a nap. And I don't have to take this." Jace gave them both a steely glare. He then walked back toward his seat next to Becca.

Aden stared after Jace. Finally he turned towards Grace. "Does he normally act like this?" Aden inquired.

"Act like a selfish brat? Yes. I would say that you'll get used to it, but you won't," Grace said.

"He seems to be very distracted and drained," Aden observed.

She looked at Aden curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"I think…" Aden paused. "What is this about? The issue between you both?"

"I saw him with two girls at a club. Well, technically one. The other was my best friend," Grace told him quietly.

"I see. And you seem to believe that he has done something wrong?" Aden probed.

"He was kissing her. And she was pure sleaze," Grace said, steeling her jaw.

"The best friend or the other girl?" Aden inquired.

"The girl, of course." She gave him a look.

Aden's face flashed with recognition. "Oh! You mean that demon! No, no. Oh, dear. I can see the problem." Aden put a hand to his chin, looking contemplative.

"Wait. Are you saying that she actually was a Possessor demon?" Grace gave him an incredulous look.

"Yes, she was. Therefore that incident was all her. It was nothing to do with Jace," Aden told her.

"So, when she kissed him. That wasn't really her?" Grace pondered. "Oh my God, Jace was right. They aren't extinct. I never knew..."

"My nephew may be creative with the truth, but he doesn't always lie," Aden pointed out.

"But Becca…" Grace looked back toward where Becca and Jace were sitting. "I don't know what really happened, but I wasn't as upset with her as Ben was. I was just mad at the...demon."

"Well I'm not sure about the best friend but I do know he wasn't lying about the demon."

Grace sighed. "I'm really tired, and quite frankly overwhelmed. Would it be okay if we called it a night? I would like to get some sleep before we get off the plane."

"I suppose. It was my fault, anyhow. I didn't have to keep bringing things up. Go get some sleep," Aden said with a tight smile.

"Thank you. And for what it's worth, Jace doesn't dislike you. You just came as a shock to him, that's all." She patted his hand and then got up to leave.

"He still loves you, you know," Aden told her before she had time to walk away.

She paused but didn't turn back to him. "I do as well. But I hope he doesn't. I'm not good for him," she said, then turned and walked back to the seat waiting for her next to Ben.


	22. Pickles to Pickles

When Jace gets back to Becca, he finds her lying on the seats asleep. He laughs quietly, thinking she looked much younger when she slept, a hand tucked under head and snoring quietly.

Jace sits back down in his chair and reclines it. "Goodnight, Becca," he says softly.

Becca mumbles something incoherent and shifts.

He smiles in the darkness and turns his body so that he's lying on his side, then closes his eyes.

Becca twisted in her seat, her nose scrunching and eyebrows drawing together in apprehension of whatever she was dreaming of. Suddenly she began to whimper.

Jace, observing all of this with his back turned, opens an eye and reaches over for Becca's hand. "You're safe. I have horrible dreams as well."

When Jace touches her, Becca scoots up in her seat and rubs an eye with her other hand. "How do you stand it?"

Jace shrugs. "I have someone to hold."

Becca looks down sullenly. "Well I don't anymore."

"Really? Then what do you call this?" He raises their clasped hands.

Becca blushes, just noticing. "I call it not being observant." She smiles at him. "Thanks for being here."

"You're welcome."

Becoming more awake, the groggy, fog-like feeling leaving Becca's head, her train of thought comes back to her. "So how'd it go? Did you guys get everything figured out?" she asks, remembering where Jace had gone to before she had fallen asleep.

Jace sighs. "We got nothing figured out. Aden kept bringing up mine and Grace's relationship issues and Grace accused me of cheating on her again, so I got up and left. I think they're still back there working on a plan."

"Oh. That must have been rough," she says sympathetically.

"You have no idea."

"I'm sorry."

Jace shrugs again. "Nothing you can do. Nothing anyone can do really."

"Still, you shouldn't have had to go through it."

"That's what my job involves; things that I don't particularly enjoy, but I have to endure them. Like I said, though, I left," Jace reminds her.

"Yeah, at least you were able to leave," Becca says, an undertone of bitterness to her voice.

Jace furrows his brow. "Yeah. So, um, can we sleep now? Are you good?"

Becca's eyebrows rise, realizing that she had taken him far from the matter at hand by asking questions about the meeting. "Oh right sorry. I'm good." She holds up their hands and smiles. "I have someone to hold."

Jace smiles as well, and then dozes off.

When Grace gets back to her section of the plane, she plops down in her seat next to Ben, who was reading some sort of book by lamplight that looked foreboding and large, its spine old chipping at the edges. A gold script was printed on the cover, but she didn't bother to read it. Instead, she takes off her heels and sighs with relief. "Ooh. So nice."

Ben raises an eyebrow over his book. "Why do women wear those torturous devices?"

"I honestly don't know. It makes us more attractive and dangerous looking, I suppose—in a feminine way."

"Well, you're attractive and dangerous looking enough without them. So why wear them?"

"I never thought of myself as much of the desirable type. Plus, they make me feel official; like I mean business." She sets her jaw.

"First of all, you are a very desirable type, just for your information. And secondly, I can understand that. Making you feel official. But I can't understand putting yourself through pain. I guess it's just something I will never understand." He pauses, thinking of an example, "Like waxing."

Grace laughs. "Now that is important. And I'm not going to launch into explaining why. It just is to women."

"It scares me."

Grace grins, her smile thorny. "So I scare you?"

Ben swallows. "In some ways, yes. Well, most ways."

Grace grins wider, and then reaches up to take her hair down. Holding it up were two very tiny, spiked throwing knives that resembled darts. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders. She then yawned and reached to her blouse to undo the cardigan covering her tank top.

Ben's mouth drops open, more concerned over the knives than the unbuttoning of her blouse. "You keep knives in your hair?"

Grace looks at him strangely. "Yeah. I mean, all fashionable Shadowhunter girls do. But it's not like they're hiding everywhere in my hair. See? Feel…" She leans her head in his direction.

Ben instinctually moves away. "I don't think I want to. You might have missed one."

Grace laughs. "No, I swear. There's only two."

Ben tentatively reaches his hand up and runs his fingers through Grace's hair from the roots and down the smooth waterfall of honey blonde.

Grace searches his face for a reaction. "See? Smooth."

"Yeah." He clears his throat and allows his hand to slowly withdraw from her hair, then began to roll her split-free ends between his fingers. "Very smooth." Ben looks at her intently.

Grace is still sitting there on her chair, her legs tucked under her, wondering what Ben is thinking. He says that he is afraid of her, but she doesn't want to appear scary.

Almost reading her mind, Ben says out of the quietness, "You aren't scaring me now."

Grace's smile is small, like a red rose bud without the thorns. "Good," she breathes.

Ben laughs lightly. "What? You thought I was scared?"

Grace nods and settles further into her chair. "You just identified that you were by stating that I'm not scaring you now."

Ben wonders why his mind goes fuzzy when touching her, and stops by suddenly pulling his hand away and picking up his book again in order to spare himself from sounding like an idiot. "Touché."

Grace smiles again. "I make you nervous. I can tell by how you have a line between your eyes." She touches the spot between them.

"Beautiful women always have that effect on me." He grins lopsidedly.

Grace blushes, and drops her green eyes. "You don't mean that."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "I don't?" He smirks a bit. "Well then by all means, tell me what I meant." Ben surprised himself. He had no idea where his sudden straightforwardness had come from, but he was almost convinced that Grace's bravery may have rubbed off on him.

"You mean to say that I am a complex female, and that I'm not really worth anyone's time; that I'm intimidating—one to always be associated with on a platonic level." She smiles a small and slow smile. "You're a nice guy. Nice guys don't want to be bothered with me."

"How the bloody hell did you get that from me telling you that I think you are beautiful?"

"It's not by what you've said. It's by personal experience. I'm just giving you a heads up to make sure that you know what you're...getting involved in."

"I'm a big boy. I know what I'm getting myself into. I'm not exactly normal myself, you know."

"Normal has nothing to do with it. It's about who I am. Beyond being a Shadowhunter. I don't know how to not hurt people. And the last thing I want to do is hurt someone like you."

Ben leans closer to Grace. "Well how about you stop worrying about hurting me? You can't protect everyone by shutting them out. You may end up hurting them even more if you do that."

Grace closes her eyes. "Deep down, I know that. I suppose I'm...afraid." She opens her eyes at that. "How humiliating. A Shadowhunter who is afraid—pathetic." She leans her head on the back of her seat.

"I don't think it's pathetic. Some fear is healthy. Besides, everyone is afraid of something."

Grace smiles. "'Fear is healthy,'" she repeats. "That is...odd, but almost poetic." She grins. "Thanks for the advice, Dr. Benjamin."

Ben winks. "Of course, Miss Willow."

Grace laughs and reaches over to turn off the lamp illuminating their corner of the plane.

"Goodnight, Ben."

"Goodnight, Beautiful."

The quartet stands in silence at baggage claim. Grace and Ben have their hands linked and Becca feeling vulnerable stands slightly closer than normal to Jace. As their bags come by they each reach for their own. Ben and Grace grab theirs with ease. Jace had his GAC bag in hand when Becca reached for hers. She just pulled it off of the conveyor belt when some random lady came at Becca screaming.

"Hey! Put my bag down you thief!"

Startled, Becca tell her, "But this is my bag."

"Oh really? Then would you mind opening it?" The woman crosses her arms.

Just then, Jace comes over to address the problem. "Is this necessary? Just check the name on the tag."

He grabs the bag and shows the lady the name. Rebecca Hollis. He raises his eyebrow at her. "Satisfied?" he asks.

The lady blushes, muttered an apology, and then scampered off.

"Thanks. I really didn't want to show off my underwear when she forced me to open it."

"You're welcome. Now let's go."

They walked a ways, no longer seeing Grace and Ben. Then Jace stopped dead in his tracks.

"Jace? What's wrong?" Becca asks.

Jace rubbed his hands over his face. "Grace will be at the institute. I don't think I want to be there with her."

"You don't think you can handle it?"

"No. I don't think that we'll be getting along very well. We'll just fight," he said resolutely. "Shit. Now where to...?"

"Well if you really don't want to go back to the institute, you can stay at my apartment. Ben has his own and won't be there. And I have an extra bedroom."

"Well, I suppose. It will probably be better off for all of us if we can get some peaceful sleep before we have to sort things out."

"Yeah."

Jace gestures in front of him. "Lead the way, then."

A while later as they're waking, Jace asks, "There's another reason you offered isn't there?"

Becca almost chokes on her startled laugh. "What? No."

"Well, I was just assuming...never mind. Sorry. I'm just used to getting offers like this a lot."

Becca gives him a confused look. "What are you talk—" then her eyes widen with realization, "oh."

"I turn them down, of course. But luckily I know you."

"I didn't offer for that reason."

"Grace trusts you, so why shouldn't I? She has a good judge of character when it comes to female companions. Men though...she tends to be clueless. Well, most of the time."

Becca hmms in response.

"I still believe you have another reason, though."

"I have another reason?"

"Yes. I can tell."

She was getting mad. "How?"

"Call it intuition."

Becca smirks. "Like women's intuition?"

Jace shoots her a look. "No, more like I'm-always-right intuition."

"Ah, but you aren't always right."

Jace says, "One time. It was one time okay? And at the time it was right. They didn't get together until after I had said something."

"True, but still..."

"Becca, what is your other reason? Are you afraid to stay by yourself?"

"No."

He grins so that she couldn't see. "You have fallen madly in love with me haven't you?"

She looked at him in horror. "No."

He throws up his hands. "Well then what—"

"It's because I don't want to be alone, okay? I'm already lonely and I'm walking right next to one of my best friends."

That tore the sardonic smile from Jace's face. "Oh. Well, to be honest, I don't want to be alone either. I mean, at the Institute it is regulation for tenants to stay in their separate rooms. But when I met Grace we tended to sleep together after the halls were quiet. I stopped dreaming about—" He shudders, "Things. Memories. Horrible flashbacks, you get the idea."

Finally they reach Becca's apartment and she slides the key into the lock to let them in.

"So this is my place," she tells him as the door swings open.

Jace flips on a light and takes a look around. "Nice. It's quaint, but not trashy. I've been to a few apartments, and they're kind of a letdown."

"So you don't hate it? I would understand if you don't want to stay."

"I don't hate it. It's shelter from the weather, so I'm good. Anyway, don't mind me. This is probably normal living space. I'm kind of...clean."

"Well I shared with Grace for a while so I think I know what you mean. She kept the place spotless."

Jace thinks to a time when Grace had told him about living with Becca. "Oh, yes, that's right. College. She was always the type to want to associate with mundanes. She found them fascinating." He waved her beliefs off. "She wanted to move in with you due to the campus being closer. Yes?"

"Yeah. We we're lucky we're best friends or we would've killed each other. Well, we were best friends." Becca got a sad look on her face and then drug her suitcase to her bedroom.

Jace made himself at home and went into the kitchen. He saw the refrigerator and realized how hungry he was. He set down his suitcase next to the couch and went back over to it. He opened it up and pulled out some peanut better, mayonnaise, pickles and searched the cupboards for black pepper and some bread. He put it all together and was sitting on the couch feasting when Becca come back in.

He stopped chewing when he saw Becca. "Uh. I hope you don't mind." Jace swallows. "I was starving." He smiles weakly.

Becca wrinkles her nose. "I don't mind, but what did you put on that sandwich?" She walks into the kitchen to find something for herself to eat waiting for Jace's response.

"These interesting ingredients called peanut better, bitter green vegetables called pickles, and some white paste called…" he reads the label, "…mah-oh-noise."

Becca closes the fridge. "Well there goes my appetite." She opens a cabinet and pulls out a bottle of wine and two glasses, knowing Jace was found of the drink.

"Wine?"

"Love some," he said around a mouthful of sandwich.

Becca brings the bottle into the living room and pours two glasses and hands one to Jace.

Jace takes it and clicks theirs together. "A toast to broken hearts and broken bones," he says smartly.

Becca didn't understand. "Broken hearts yes, but broken bones?"

"For training."

"Oh. Let's hope that doesn't happen."

Jace laughs. "No, Babe. Let's hope it does, and much more. I have a lot of pent-up anger to get out, and kicking kittens won't do it."

She looks at him with wide eyes.

Jace holds up his hands in defense. "Just kidding!"

"Oh." Her eyes are still wide, though, while she thinks, why on earth did he call me Babe?

Jace smiles at her confused face and downs his wine in one swig. When he lowers his glass, he asks. "Jealous?"

"Of what?"

"Of my capability to completely intake a beverage of this potency in one sip. You seem...intrigued?"

Becca raises her eyebrow and grabs the bottle. "Intrigue this." She tips the bottle and downs almost all of it.

Jace's eyes are wide. "Whoa. Um…" He grabs the bottle from her, "That's enough."

She laughs. "What are you talking about? That's not even enough to get me tipsy."

"Becca, you shouldn't do that. Drink that much. You won't stay attentive. Plus, I never knew a girl could...chug."

"You are looking at the chug champ of my senior class."

Jace chuckles. "You are one crazy chick."

"Thank you."

Jace suddenly leans on his knees and hoists himself up to a standing position. He walks around the coffee table between him and Becca and holds out a hand for her to take, the other he places on her back. "I'd say you should get some shut eye, or you'll be nursing a major hangover tomorrow."

Becca stumbles a bit even with his help. She giggles. "Whoops! Musht have gotten the good stuff by mistanke. I norbally can chug a WHOOOLLEE bottle with no prolms."

"Yeah, well, I would prefer if you didn't. You know, Becca. Girls who get drunk easily aren't respected."

"Which is why I don't norbally drink around peeples I don't know well. And I don't do it often. You're kinda hot you know that?" She leans her head against his shoulder and looks up at his face which is amused.

"Uh-huh. Well, here's your room. It seems...used," he says, taking in the rumpled sheets that he would never leave his as. "So…" He brings her over to her bed and lefts her onto it, "I am assuming it is yours."

"Yep it's mine. I even got to pick the colors. Don't they look pretty?"

Jace frowns at the floral bedspread and pictures of cats. "Yeah. Very...pretty."

Becca snorts. "Yeah...Ben didn't like it too much. Said it was too girly, so I was gonna change it. He told me not to, but I didn't want him to not like it. But I don't have to worry about it, now." She yawns.

Jace is baffled by her. She reminds him of Isabelle when they were children, yet she also can be quite rational when she wants to be. "I guess so."

"I'm tired. Help yourself to whatever. Towels are in the linen closet if you want a shower..." Then she fell asleep, or more adequately, passed out.

Jace stands there for a second, thinking about how different she was from the other girls he was brought up around. She was more open and all-around vulnerable compared to them. He knew that girls were complex. It took him a little experience to draw a conclusion as to how they tick, but he also knew that no two were the same.

Jace walks over to a chair and grabs a pink blanket. He brings it over to tuck Becca in. "Goodnight again, Becca."

This time she smiles slightly in her sleep and rolls onto her side.


	23. Walls Come Down

When Grace and Ben finally reach the Institute, they are both shivering. Grace knocks on the great double-paneled doors and waits, hopeful for a response.

"So," she begins to ask Ben. "Are you going back to your apartment?"

" I don't really want to walk all the way back, but I doubt they'll let me stay here."

Grace smiles. "You'd be surprised who they let in. Have you heard of Magnus Bane? The High Warlock of Brooklyn? He is allowed in and he's not even a Shadowhunter." She looks concernedly at the door behind her before shivering some more.

"Here," Ben says and shrugs his jacket off then slides it around Grace's shoulders. "Better?" he asks.

Grace pulls it around her and her face warms. "Much better, thank you. But are you sure...?"

"I'm fine." Ben smirks. "As a Mai, I'm always a bit warmer than the normal person, or in your case, Shadowhunter."

At that moment the door creaks open, and Grace turns to see a girl with jet-black hair standing in the doorway. She wore aqua pajamas paired with fluffy slippers on her feet. She had no makeup on, but yet she looked beautiful. The girl tentatively opened the door, but when she saw Grace, her face lit up in a bright smile and she opened the door the rest of the way.

"Omigod! Grace!" she squeals.

Grace rushes forward to meet Isabelle Lightwood halfway in a big embrace, both girls giggling. Isabelle finally releases her and looks back towards the door. "See? I told you, Alec. You always freak over nothing."

Her brother, Alec Lightwood, appears in the doorway holding a seraph blade in his hand. He isn't going to trust anyone who comes knocking in the middle of the night with what has been going on.

"Evening, Grace," he says.

Grace waves. "You look nice, Alec. Did you do something different with your hair?"

Alec shrugs indifferently. "Decided to grow it out longer. Magnus said that it would frame my eyes. Is it too long?" he asks, suddenly self-conscious.

Grace waves a hand. "No. It looks fantastic. Very messy and, frankly, I'm a little attracted to you, Alec. No offense."

Alec just looks at her blankly. "None taken."

Ben looks confused. Why would Grace, a beautiful girl, make Alec feel offended? He decides to ask out of curiosity, "Why no offense?"

Grace smiles and reaches out for Ben. "Guys, this is Benjamin. He is our help for the mission, and a Mai." Not ignoring his question and only changing the subject for the siblings, Grace whispers to him, "I'll tell you later."

Ben nods his understanding. "Nice to meet you," he says to Alec. "And you are?"

Knowing that he is Mai, and always being attracted to boys that her parents disapprove of, Isabelle gets a look in her eye like she's just been offered a pile of candy. "I'm Isabelle Lightwood, the only daughter of our current generation. It's VERY nice to meet you."

Ben smiles at her but looks down at Grace and takes her hand.

Isabelle's eyes go wide. She was shocked that her charm didn't work and also because he seemed to be Grace's new guy. She looks to Grace and mouths, "We need to talk later, girl."

Grace rolls her eyes and follows Isabelle and Alec out of the cold and into the Institute.

Once inside, Alec narrows his eyes at Ben. "Where is Jace?" Although his gaze is on Ben, he directs his question to Grace.

She sighs. "We had a bit of a...spat. Um, a lot's been going on with him and I. You already know about his father. Oh, and on vacation he proposed."

Isabelle's jaw goes slack. "No freaking way!"

"Yes, but things have changed. We aren't even together anymore."

"Why not?" Alec asks, slightly protective of his parabati. He shoots a glare at Ben, who raises his hands defensively.

"It's complicated," Grace admits.

"Well do you know where he is?"

"He went with Becca," Grace says. "And of course I know where he is, Alec. He's my partner." She looks at him like he had insulted her duty.

"Well sorry, but I just like to know where my parabati is. Excuse me," he says suddenly, and leaves in an angry flourish.

"What is a parabati?" Ben asks.

Isabelle gives him an apologetic look. "It's nothing. He just has temperamental issues."

"It's cool," he says, but feels completely out of the loop.

Isabelle leads them down to a vacant room. "Sorry, but it's the only one we have. We got swamped with occupied rooms due to the mission. Shadowhunters are even coming in from Alicante."

Grace bites her lip and casts a sideways glance at Ben while Ben rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

Isabelle looks from one to another. "Is that okay?"

"I'm fine with it," Ben says first.

Grace looks at Isabelle. "Is it okay if I sleep with—"

Before she can get her sentence out, Isabelle answers, "Nope," and flounces down the hall. "You two have fun!"

Ben smiles at Isabelle's pushiness and at how Grace is blushing.

"You'll have to excuse her," she says. "Izzy's just like that."

"I'm not the one blushing now, am I?" he asks, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Grace rolls her eyes and slaps his shoulder playfully. "Shut up, Mai."

Ben laughs as well and opens the door for Grace to walk through. She does, and carries her suitcase in with her. When Ben shuts the door, Grace sits in a corner chair and unzips her suitcase searching for her memoir.

Ben sets his suitcase next to the dresser and digs out some sleeping shorts and a T-shirt.

Grace finds it and carefully takes out a wadded up tissue and a pen. She begins to write furiously. When she is done, Grace examines her writing, and then begins to unwrap the tissue.

Observing her quietly for a few minutes, he finally asks, "What are you doing?"

Grace, for a second in her own little world, looks up. "Oh. Sorry. I'm recording."

"Doesn't that occur with an electronic device?"

Grace laughs. "I suppose. But then again, Shadowhunters pride themselves in their ability to write traditionally. I am recording special events that have happened to me. I haven't had the chance to write in forever."

Ben raises an eyebrow. "So what is the special event you are recording?"

"Well, see this?" She holds up a tiny sand dollar that was carefully protected in a cocoon of tissue. "I found it on the beach."

Ben comes over to look at it. "Fascinating."

Grace smiles. "I thought so too. Therefore I'm adding it to my records. Along with a description of what happened while on vacation."

Ben squats down next to her and looks at her book. "So, why do you do this?"

Grace looks at him. "I suppose it's a way for me to release my thoughts and get them out on paper. Every one of these pages," she briefly flips through her book, "is a memory. I just don't want to forget them. They're happy; the kind that you read to feel better on a bad day."

"Oh. Feeling better now?"

Grace blinks. "I wasn't feeling bad at all. I was writing in it."

"Well you pointed it out so I thought you might be having a bad day. I'm glad you aren't." He smiles and kisses her on the cheek then goes to the bathroom to change.

Grace sits there for a minute, taken aback. He kissed me? Ben kissed me. That's so...different. She shakes her head, and pushes the thought of his lips out of her mind. He probably doesn't mean anything by it.

She wonders how long Ben will be, and decides to quickly undress and get into her night gown. Grace keeps checking the bathroom door to make sure that it doesn't unexpectedly open.

Ben must have assumed she would have decided to change, and knocks on the bathroom door before stepping out. "Grace, are you decent?"

Grace slips her new silk gown on over her hand and shakes out her hair. "Yeah, I'm good."

Ben opens the door and walks out. "I wanted to make sure I didn't walk in on you if you were changing."

"I was, obviously. Thanks for checking first."

Ben smiles. "You're welcome. So what side of the bed do you take? I'll sleep on whichever."

Grace looks at the mattress uncomfortably. "Well," she crosses her arms over her chest. "Which side do you prefer?"

"Grace, I just told you I sleep on whichever side. I don't have a preference." He smiles. "Would you be more comfortable if I slept on a couch or something?"

Grace sighs. "No. I wouldn't make you do that. You're a guest here. You should feel welcome. Here, I'll take the right." She slides in under the covers, but before Ben gets in, she makes sure to create a pillow wall. "There. Now we don't have to feel so weird."

"Alright, that wasn't too painful now, was it?" He smiles, hoping to ease her discomfort.

Grace smiles slightly.

"I make you feel weird? I'm sorry. I really don't mind a couch. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"Oh my God, Ben." Grace rubs her temples. "Just get in."

"I promise I will be on my best behavior."

"Ben, I trust you. Take that as a compliment, because I don't usually trust easily. But you're safe, and the farthest thing from being forward. So don't worry."

"Well good. And only to defend my manliness, I can be forward when I choose too. I just choose to wait for a more...proper setting than most men do."

"Proper setting?" She props herself up on one elbow. "Why, Ben. I do believe that's the most referenced thing you've ever said," she teases.

Ben thinks about it. "Yes. Yes, I believe it may be."

Grace giggles and falls back on her pillow. She takes one from the wall she made and hits him with it. "You're cute. You know that?"

"I have been told a time or two that I am cute, yes." He flashes a smile at Grace. "But you are one of the prettiest women I've heard it from."

Grace sits up and looks down at him intently, her head tilted to one side. "You mean that?"

"I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." He traces an X over his heart.

* * *

><p>Grace stretches and reaches over for Jace, but feels someone else unfamiliar. She yelps, and pastes herself against the bedpost.<p>

Ben sits straight up, eyes still sleepy. "What's wrong?"

Grace, seeing that it was Ben, remembers the previous night, and relaxes a bit. "Oh. It's you."

"Um, yeah." Grace visibly seems more relaxed, and then unplasters herself from the bedpost. She sits, her legs crossed. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry. You just startled me," Grace admits.

"Okay."

She begins to braid a piece of her hair nervously. "So…"

"So..." he repeats.

Grace smiles, then asks, "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know...whatever I guess."

"Hmmm. Whatever. I've never heard of it. Where is that exactly?" She grins.

Ben stretches back lazily against the pillows, his arms coming up over his head. "I'm not certain but Mai legend has it that whoever finds it first will be best looking person in the world." He glances over at her and teasingly says, "I don't know if you will be able to find it or not. Me on the other hand..."

Grace tilts her head. "Is that a challenge? You know, just because you're Mai doesn't mean I couldn't hold you hostage and use you to help me find it."

Ben rolls his eyes up into his head thinking, "I figure I have seven lives to spare...I could get away."

"You couldn't get away. I'm very good at securing hostages," she jokes.

Ben looks her up and down. "I don't think I would mind being your hostage."

"You'd better. I'm not that easy." Grace leans her head back down on her pillow, looking up at him coyly.

Ben smirks and raises his eyebrows. "I didn't think you were."

"I didn't think so either." Grace smiles, then slowly gets up to find a pair of clothes to change. She heads into the bathroom and comes out fully ready. "I know what we can do today."

She finds Ben also dressed and sitting on the bed waiting for her. "Alright Phineas, what are we going to do today?"

Grace looks at him strangely. "Phineas?"

"Oh you Shadowhunters are completely clueless when it comes to pop culture references."

She shakes her head. "Anyway, I was thinking the zoo or the museum. Have you ever been?"

"No, actually I haven't."

"Well then this should be fun. We can grab a bagel on the way, okay?"

"Sounds good. I'm starving!"


End file.
